Banque de France SWIFT/BIC code

Banque de France SWIFT code: BDFEFR2T

BDFEFR2T and BDFEFR2TXXX are two spellings of the same bank identifier, and both point to Banque de France in Paris. A SWIFT code shows the sending bank exactly which bank is meant to get the money, a bit like a postal address for banks. In practice you usually see it on invoices from abroad, in payment forms and on the account details that Banque de France provides.

Further down we go through the practical questions: money coming in from abroad, paying someone in another country and how to verify the code before you confirm a payment. Keep in mind that the BIC just identifies the bank, not the person: the IBAN or account number does that part.

Do you need BDFEFR2T for a SEPA transfer?

France is part of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), the zone for uniform euro payments. For a standard euro transfer from another SEPA country, you normally only need the IBAN and the BIC is often filled in automatically.

The BIC does matter for payments in other currencies. A few forms still show a field for the BIC out of habit; in that case, fill in BDFEFR2T.

Instant euro transfers have become widely available within SEPA; check with Banque de France whether it applies to your account. Fees for SEPA transfers tend to be low as long as everything stays in euros.

Transfer times and tracking a payment to Banque de France

A SWIFT payment typically needs one to a few business days. Payments made after the cut-off time or on a weekend or public holiday usually start a business day later. Occasionally a bank asks what the payment is for before releasing it.

A growing number of banks are connected to SWIFT gpi for faster and traceable payments. Each payment gets a unique transaction reference, the UETR, which your bank can use to see where the money is. Money transfer services often provide a status in their app so you can see where the money is.

A delayed transfer is investigated from the sending side. Request from the sender the payment receipt with the date and reference – it helps your own bank look for the money.

Protect yourself against fake payment requests

One of the most common tricks works like this: an email arrives with a message saying that a supplier has new bank details. The fact that BDFEFR2T exists is no guarantee that a request mentioning it is legitimate; criminals use the codes of real banks too.

Never trust a phone number in the same message that announces the new account. Urgency and requests to keep it quiet are red flags – a real supplier can wait a day. If a payment was sent to a fraudster, contact your bank immediately.

Scams also work the other way. Someone claims to have sent more than agreed and asks you to refund the difference via a different route. Do not act before the money is actually in your account – ask Banque de France if something looks wrong.

About this information

We gather bank codes from public sources and update them from time to time. It can happen that information here is out of date, for example after a merger. The figures we show reflect what is in our directory, not official figures from Banque de France.

Treat our data as a reference, not as the final word – the bank details from the recipient are leading. GoldexPay is independent of Banque de France; we are a comparison site for money transfers. Found an error? Tell us via our contact form.

The Euro and what conversion costs you

The local currency of France is the Euro (EUR). Money sent in a different currency will be converted into EUR on its way to Banque de France, and whoever converts it chooses the rate. There is rarely a separate line for that conversion; it is built into the rate.

Who does the conversion has an effect on how much arrives. Sending the amount directly in EUR often avoids an extra conversion by Banque de France.

The rate for EUR changes throughout the day, so the amount you see is usually only valid for a short time. With bigger transfers, even small gap in the rate adds up quickly.

Why Banque de France has an 8- and an 11-character code

A SWIFT code is made up of a few fixed parts: the first four letters identify the bank, characters five and six give the country and the two after that mark the location. For Banque de France, that core is BDFEFR2T.

Most payment forms accept both lengths. If yours asks for eleven characters, use BDFEFR2TXXX, otherwise BDFEFR2T is fine.

As a rule the code is written in capitals. A wrong letter can send a payment to another bank.

Is BDFEFR2T still correct? How to check

The most reliable place for the right code is paperwork issued by the bank. If the code you have differs from BDFEFR2T or BDFEFR2TXXX, stop and ask.

An incorrect BIC can cause delays, a payment being sent back or extra fees. An error in the account number is a bigger problem, so check that just as carefully.

A validity check in your banking app merely confirms that the IBAN exists, not that it is the right account. Where available, a payee name check before sending gives extra certainty. For a first payment, some people send a small test amount and wait for confirmation.

What a transfer from Banque de France abroad really costs

What you pay for a payment abroad has several parts – not just the fee on your screen. There is the fee for the transfer itself, possibly charges from correspondent banks in between and, most importantly, the exchange rate markup.

Many banks do not list their exchange rate markup as a cost, but you pay it all the same. Compare their rate against the mid-market rate.

For many currency pairs, a transfer service turns out to be cheaper than a traditional bank transfer, mainly because of the exchange rate. GoldexPay compares transfer providers next to each other, showing what actually arrives before you commit. You can always keep your account at Banque de France; only the conversion and sending happen elsewhere.

Receiving money from abroad at Banque de France

A sender in another country will ask for several details from you – incomplete details often cause delays. The basics are: your name, IBAN or account number, BDFEFR2TXXX or BDFEFR2T and, for some countries, your home address.

The sender’s bank might also ask for the address of your bank, in which case the Paris head office is the usual answer. A typo in your account number can be harder to fix than you might think.

What lands in your account can be lower than the amount sent. Correspondent banks can take a fee and your own bank may charge for processing, and if the money is converted, an exchange rate margin applies. On invoices, you can state who bears the costs to avoid a shortfall.

Which of the 112 codes of Banque de France do you need?

Having 112 codes in 2 cities, Banque de France is one of the banks that use individual codes for parts of the organisation and departments. The head office code remains BDFEFR2TXXX.

For the vast majority of payments to a private or business account, the head office code BDFEFR2TXXX is what you need. When you receive a specific code, use it as it is instead of replacing it for the head office code.

When in doubt, check with the recipient for the exact BIC in their bank details. Branch codes can change when banks reorganise, so do not rely on old paperwork.