SWIFT/BIC codes in British Virgin Islands

Finding a SWIFT code in British Virgin Islands

Our directory lists 27 banks and financial institutions in British Virgin Islands and 28 SWIFT/BIC codes between them. Each code points to a bank or one of its branches.

Every bank is listed with its own page showing its main code and if there are any, codes for branches and departments. The sections below covers the structure of the codes, the cost of transfers and how to avoid mistakes before a payment.

Sending USD to British Virgin Islands

British Virgin Islands uses the US Dollar (USD). A payment in a foreign currency is exchanged into USD on its way to the recipient – and the bank that does it picks the rate.

Who converts the payment makes a difference: every bank has its own margin. In many cases it is cheaper if you send USD straight away via a transfer service that converts near the mid-market rate rather than letting the receiving bank convert. Exchange rates move during the day – some providers let you lock in a rate.

Tracking a payment to British Virgin Islands

How fast a payment reaches British Virgin Islands depends on a few things: which currency you send, the number of banks in between, cut-off times and time zones. Bank holidays in either country can add a day or more to the journey.

A growing number of banks are connected to SWIFT gpi, which lets them follow a payment from bank to bank. Every gpi transfer carries a unique reference, the UETR. Save the payment confirmation until the recipient confirms.

International payments to British Virgin Islands and the BIC

British Virgin Islands is not part of the SEPA area, the European zone for uniform euro payments. Payments from abroad normally go over the SWIFT network.

In some countries, accounts are identified by a domestic account number rather than an IBAN and sometimes a local routing or branch code. Ask the recipient which details their bank requires for payments from abroad – many banks give clear instructions for this. International transfers sometimes go via one or more intermediary banks and fees can be taken along the way.

About our data and how to check a code

The most reliable place for the correct BIC remains a document from the bank itself. A wrong code may lead to a delay, a returned payment or extra fees – compare it with the code in our list.

This list is based on publicly available sources that we update periodically. Institutions merge, change names and retire codes, and no directory catches every change immediately. Before a payment of any size, confirm the code with the recipient. GoldexPay is not a bank and is not affiliated with the banks listed.

Be wary of invoices with changed bank details. Before paying, verify changed details by phone on a number you know.

Bank or transfer service for British Virgin Islands?

An international bank payment to British Virgin Islands can cost rather more than you think. Besides the fee, correspondent banks can take a cut, and when the money is converted the bank often applies a rate below the actual market rate.

The real cost is often in the rate, rather than in the fee. A simple test: put the rate you get against the mid-market rate and look at the difference.

For a lot of routes, a specialist provider is less expensive than a bank – mostly thanks to the exchange rate. GoldexPay compares transfer services next to each other, showing the amount that reaches the recipient.

What the letters in a British Virgin Islands BIC mean

A SWIFT code is either 8 or 11 characters long and follows a fixed pattern. The first four letters identify the bank, the fifth and sixth characters form the country code and characters seven and eight give the location.

You can spot a bank code from British Virgin Islands by letters five and six – those always form the country code of British Virgin Islands. Codes with a different country code come from another country, even if the bank name looks familiar.

An 11-character code adds a branch code – XXX stands for the head office. In most cases the head office code is fine, unless the recipient gives you a branch code.

Incoming international payments in British Virgin Islands

For an international payment in British Virgin Islands, the person paying you has to have not just the SWIFT code. That means: your name as your bank knows it, your IBAN or account number, the BIC of your bank and usually your postal address.

Your bank’s code appears in the list on this page. Some sending banks also ask for the name and address of your bank, so keep it at hand.

Do not be surprised if the amount credited is below the amount on the sender’s receipt. Intermediary banks may deduct a fee, and when currencies differ, an exchange rate margin applies. Make clear with the sender who pays which costs.

The largest SWIFT network in British Virgin Islands: Bevco Limited

Of the 27 banks we list for British Virgin Islands, Bevco Limited has the most SWIFT codes. Its head office code is BEVCVGV1XXX – the code most transfers need.

The number of codes tells you more about how it organises its payments than about its size. If not a branch code is given, the head office code BEVCVGV1XXX works for transfers to this bank.