SWIFT/BIC codes in China: banks starting with T

Finding a SWIFT code in China

This overview contains 668 banks and financial institutions in China, with 2652 SWIFT/BIC codes in total. You will need a SWIFT/BIC code mainly when making payments across borders, and especially for payments in foreign currencies.

Look for the bank you need below and click through to see the full list of codes. Further down we explain how a code from China is put together, how to send money there without overpaying and what to check before you pay.

When does money sent to China arrive?

A SWIFT payment to China typically needs one to a few business days, depending on the currency, the route and the banks involved. Transfers sent late in the day or just before weekends and holidays usually go out the next business day.

When a payment takes longer than expected, the sender should contact the sending bank and ask for the status or the UETR. Specialist transfer services often show tracking in their app, which makes it easier to see where the money is.

What a sender needs to pay you in China

For an international payment into a China account, the person paying you has to have not just the BIC. Give them the account holder’s name, the IBAN or account number, your bank’s SWIFT code and your address.

Find your bank in the list on this page to check its code. You can add the name and city of your bank.

What lands in your account can be less than the amount sent. Charges on incoming payments differ from bank to bank – your bank’s price list tells you what applies. Agree with the sender who covers the fees, especially for larger amounts.

Sending money to China for less

If you transfer money to China through a regular bank, the stated fee is rarely all of what you pay. You pay a transfer fee, possibly charges from intermediary banks and, above all, the margin on the exchange rate if the money is converted.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, rather than in the fee. A simple test: put the rate you get against the mid-market rate and work out the difference on your amount.

Specialised transfer providers frequently offer rates closer to the mid-market rate with clearer fees. Before you send money to China, take a minute to compare what arrives via GoldexPay.

The structure of a China SWIFT/BIC code

Every SWIFT/BIC code consists of 8 or 11 characters, always in the same order. Characters one to four stand for the bank, the fifth and sixth characters are the country code and characters seven and eight give the location.

Whatever the bank, every code from China have the same country code in positions five and six. When the country letters do not match China, the code belongs to a bank in another country – worth double-checking.

If the last three are XXX, it means the main office, and the 8-character version leads to the same place. Use a branch code only if the recipient explicitly gives you one; otherwise the head office code is the safe choice.

Paying in CNY: what conversion costs you

Most accounts in China are typically held in CNY, the local currency. A payment in a foreign currency is converted into CNY – and the bank that does it picks the rate.

Which bank converts the payment matters: every bank has its own margin. Compare what CNY arrives via several providers; the difference between options can be larger than you expect. Rates for CNY move all the time – some providers let you lock in a rate.

Most SWIFT codes in China: Bank of Communications

Of the 668 banks in China, Bank of Communications is listed with the largest number of codes. Its main office has COMMCNSHXXX.

Many codes usually reflects separate codes for branches, departments or services. Making a payment to Bank of Communications? Go with COMMCNSHXXX unless the recipient gives you a branch code.

SWIFT codes in China: banks under :letter

Here you see a filtered list: just institutions in China with a name starting with :letter. The totals mentioned here cover all 668 banks.

Some banks appear under their legal name. The full overview for China remains available when the letter filter does not help.

Paying a bank in China from abroad

China is not part of the SEPA area, the European zone for uniform euro payments. Payments from abroad usually travel over the SWIFT network.

Depending on the country, the account is identified by a domestic account number instead of an IBAN. Ask the recipient exactly which details their bank needs for payments from abroad. International transfers can pass through one or more intermediary banks.

Verifying a SWIFT code from China

The best place to find the right code is a document from the bank itself. If the code you have does not match our list, do not guess – contact the recipient or their bank.

We gather bank codes using publicly available data and update our list regularly. Still, banks merge or retire codes, so information can be out of date. Treat our data as a reference rather than the last word. We are a comparison service for money transfers.

Fraudsters regularly send payment requests with changed bank details from what looks like a familiar address. A valid BIC says nothing about whether a request is genuine: criminals use real codes too.