SWIFT/BIC codes in Colombia

SWIFT/BIC codes in Colombia

Our directory lists 124 banks and other institutions in Colombia, with 199 SWIFT/BIC codes in total. You need such a code mostly when making international transfers, and especially for payments in foreign currencies.

Select the bank from the list to see the head office code and its other codes, plus practical notes for sending and receiving money. Further down you can read how codes from Colombia are built, how to send money there at a fair price and what to check before you pay.

What a sender needs to pay you in Colombia

Someone abroad who wants to pay you will ask for a few details about your account. That means: your full name as your bank knows it, your IBAN or account number, the SWIFT/BIC code of your bank and sometimes your postal address.

Find the bank in the list on this page – your bank statement is the final word. It helps to include the name and city of your bank.

Expect that the incoming amount is smaller than the amount on the sender’s receipt. Charges on incoming payments differ from bank to bank; check the price list of your bank. Agree with the sender who pays which costs.

Verifying a SWIFT code from Colombia

The best place to find the right code remains a document from the bank itself, such as a statement or the account page in online banking. When the code you were given does not match the code listed here, stop and ask: check with the recipient or the bank.

The directory on GoldexPay is compiled from publicly available sources and is updated regularly. Institutions merge, close branches and change codes. Treat this list as a starting point, not as the final word. GoldexPay is an independent comparison site.

Be wary of payment requests containing changed bank details, especially when they come by email. A valid BIC tells you nothing about who owns the account.

Why a transfer to Colombia needs a SWIFT code

Since Colombia is outside SEPA, a transfer from abroad normally goes through SWIFT. That means you always need the BIC of the receiving bank in addition to the account details.

Not all countries use IBAN numbers. The receiving bank often provides a list of required details for payments from abroad – follow them exactly. On the way to Colombia, a payment may go through correspondent banks.

The structure of a Colombia SWIFT/BIC code

A SWIFT code is 8 or 11 characters long and follows a fixed pattern. It starts with a four-letter bank code, then two letters for the country and a two-character location code.

You can recognise a code from Colombia by the fifth and sixth characters – those always form the country code of Colombia. A code with a different country code come from a bank abroad, even if the bank name looks familiar.

The optional last three characters stand for a branch or department; XXX means the head office. Choose a branch code only if the recipient explicitly gives you one.

Bank or transfer service for Colombia?

What you pay for a payment to Colombia has more than one component. There is a transfer fee, sometimes charges from intermediary banks along the way and, above all, the exchange rate markup when currencies differ.

The markup on the rate is often the largest cost item because it is hidden in the rate. Check the rate you are offered against the mid-market rate, the midpoint you see on financial news sites. The difference is your real cost.

For many routes, a transfer service turns out to be less expensive than a traditional bank transfer. On GoldexPay we compare the amount that arrives in Colombia across services.

When does money sent to Colombia arrive?

How fast money arrives in Colombia is determined by a few things: the currency, how many intermediary banks are involved, cut-off times and differences in time zone. Transfers sent late in the day or on weekends and holidays often start a business day later.

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. Specialist transfer services often show tracking online so you can follow the payment.

The largest SWIFT network in Colombia: Banco Popular-Colombia

Of the 124 banks in Colombia, Banco Popular-Colombia has the most codes. Its head office code is BPOPCOBBXXX – the code most transfers need.

Practice differs in whether they register branch codes. Paying someone at Banco Popular-Colombia? Use BPOPCOBBXXX unless a specific branch code is requested.