Commerzbank AG SWIFT/BIC code

SWIFT/BIC code of Commerzbank AG

The 8-character code COBAFRPX and the full code COBAFRPXXXX refer to the same bank: Commerzbank AG in Paris, France. A SWIFT code shows the sending bank which institution is meant to get the money. In practice you usually see it on invoices from abroad, in payment forms and in the bank details of Commerzbank AG customers.

Below we go through the practical side: receiving money at Commerzbank AG, sending money abroad and how to verify a SWIFT code before you confirm a payment. Remember that the SWIFT code only identifies the bank, not the account: the IBAN or account number does that part.

Protect yourself against fake payment requests

Be alert when someone unexpectedly asks you to send money to another account abroad. The fact that COBAFRPX exists does not mean that a request mentioning it is genuine; criminals use the codes of real banks too.

Always confirm changed bank details through a phone call. Watch out for urgent requests, odd spelling or an email address that differs by one letter. Acted too fast? Contact the bank you paid from without delay and have them start a recall.

Recipients are targeted too: one known trick is a buyer who pays too much and then sends a request to refund the difference abroad. A screenshot of a transfer is no proof; only your own account shows what has arrived.

Why Commerzbank AG has an 8- and an 11-character code

A SWIFT code is made up of fixed blocks: the first four letters stand for the bank, characters five and six show the country and the two after that indicate the location. That gives you COBAFRPX for Commerzbank AG.

The 11-character version has a three-character extension that identify a branch or department. If the last three are XXX, they simply mean the head office, which is why COBAFRPXXXX and COBAFRPX lead to the same place.

Leave out spaces when you enter COBAFRPX or COBAFRPXXXX. Watch for the letter O and the digit 0 and the letter I and the digit 1, a common source of typos.

The Euro and what conversion costs you

The local currency of France is the Euro (EUR). If you send money in a different currency has to be converted somewhere along the way. You rarely see a separate line for that conversion; it is built into the rate.

Which bank converts the payment matters, because each party uses its own rate. Transferring the money directly in EUR usually prevents an extra conversion by Commerzbank AG.

The rate for EUR changes constantly. On larger amounts, even small difference in the rate can be worth more than the fee.

What to give a sender who pays you at Commerzbank AG

A sender in another country will ask for a few details from you, and missing ones are a common cause of delays. Give them your name as the bank knows it, the IBAN or account number, the BIC COBAFRPXXXX and your address.

The sender’s bank may request the bank address of Commerzbank AG. A typo in your account number can be more trouble than you might think, so copy the details from your online banking.

Expect that the incoming amount is smaller than the amount on the sender’s receipt. Correspondent banks can take a fee, and if the currency changes, an exchange rate margin comes on top. Make clear with the sender who pays which costs before the money is sent.

Verifying the SWIFT code of Commerzbank AG

The best place to find the right code is paperwork issued by the bank like a bank statement or the account page in online banking. When the code you were given does not match COBAFRPX or COBAFRPXXXX, do not guess.

If the code is wrong, the payment may get stuck, bounce back or cost extra – sometimes after weeks of searching. Remember the IBAN: a mistake there can be harder to correct than a wrong BIC.

Most online banking apps validate the format of an IBAN and sometimes look up the BIC automatically, but that does not prove the account belongs to the right person. If your bank offers it, a name check on the recipient gives an extra layer of safety. Sending a small amount first is worth it for a large first payment.

Choosing between the 2 SWIFT codes of Commerzbank AG

Having 2 codes, Commerzbank AG is one of the banks that use individual codes for branches. The main code remains COBAFRPXXXX.

In most cases there is no need to pick a branch: transfers sent to COBAFRPXXXX reach Commerzbank AG correctly. When you receive a specific code, use it as it is instead of replacing it with the head office code.

The safest approach is to copy the code straight from the account holder’s bank details. Codes can change over time, so a code from an old document is not always valid.

Tracking a transfer to or from Commerzbank AG

There is no fixed answer for every transfer: many arrive the same day or the next, others take several business days. Bank holidays in either country add a day or more, since banks do not process on those days. Extra checks by one of the banks can also cause a delay.

When a payment takes longer than expected, contact your bank about the tracking status; with that reference banks can see where the payment is. Specialist transfer services often provide a status online showing how far the money is.

The bank that sent the money is able to start an official trace or a recall; the receiving side usually has nothing to trace yet. On the receiving end, you can look at your statements to see a slightly lower amount.

Do you need COBAFRPX for a SEPA transfer?

France belongs to the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA). When you send euros from another SEPA country, you normally only need the IBAN and the BIC is often filled in automatically.

Outside the euro and for senders outside SEPA, COBAFRPXXXX or COBAFRPX is still part of the payment details. If your banking app has a field for the BIC anyway, adding COBAFRPX does no harm.

SEPA transfers normally land by the next business day. Charges on SEPA payments tend to be low.

About this information

The directory on GoldexPay draws on publicly available sources. It can happen that information on this page is out of date after a merger or reorganisation. Counts and locations come from our directory and may differ from what Commerzbank AG publishes.

See the information on this page as a helpful check. GoldexPay is independent of Commerzbank AG, we only compare transfer services. Found an error? Tell us through the contact page and we will look into it.

International transfers from Commerzbank AG: the real cost

When you send money abroad via Commerzbank AG, the fee you see is only part of the cost. Besides the transfer fee, correspondent or intermediary banks can deduct a fee, and if the money changes currency, the bank often uses a rate below the real market rate.

Banks rarely list the margin on the rate as a cost – you only notice it if you compare. Compare the rate you are offered against the mid-market rate – the rate you find on financial news sites.

For a lot of routes, a transfer service is cheaper than a traditional bank transfer. GoldexPay lists transfer providers side by side so you can see what actually arrives. You can always use your account at Commerzbank AG as the source of the money.