SWIFT/BIC codes in France: banks starting with G

SWIFT/BIC codes in France

Our directory lists 2801 banks and other institutions in France, with 4924 SWIFT/BIC codes in total. Every code identifies a bank or a specific branch or department.

Pick the bank from the list to view the head office code and any branch codes. Further down we explain how a code from France is put together, how to send money there without overpaying and how to check a code before you pay.

Getting paid from abroad into an account in France

A sender in another country needs several details about your account – incomplete details often cause delays. That means: your full name exactly as it appears on the account, your account number or IBAN, the SWIFT/BIC code of your bank and usually your address.

The code of your bank appears in our list. Certain sending banks may also want the name and address of your bank, so keep it at hand.

What lands in your account is often less than what was sent. Correspondent banks can take a fee, and when currencies differ, a markup on the rate applies. Make clear with the sender who pays which costs before the money is sent.

Most SWIFT codes in France: Credit Agricole

Credit Agricole leads the list of France banks when it comes to the number of SWIFT/BIC codes. The head office uses AGRIFRPP802.

A large number of codes often reflects separate codes for branches, departments or services – it says nothing about the size of the bank as such. Unless a branch code is given, AGRIFRPP802 is fine for a payment to Credit Agricole.

Recognising a SWIFT code from France

A BIC is 8 or 11 characters long and the parts always come in the same order. It starts with a four-letter bank code, then two letters for the country and a two-character location code.

For banks in France, characters five and six show the two-letter ISO code of France – that is the quickest way to spot one. Codes with other letters in that position come from another country.

An 11-character code ends in three characters for a branch – XXX stands for the head office. For most transfers the head office code is fine unless the recipient asks for a specific branch.

How reliable is this list?

The safest source for the BIC is the bank details provided by the recipient – an invoice, a statement or a screenshot from online banking. When the code you were given differs from the code listed here, stop and ask: check with the recipient or the bank.

We collect SWIFT/BIC codes from public sources and check our list regularly. Even so, banks merge, rename themselves or change codes and our data may lag behind. For any payment that matters, confirm the BIC with the recipient. GoldexPay is an independent comparison service, not a bank.

Be wary of payment requests with changed bank details, especially when they come by email. A real SWIFT code tells you nothing about who owns the account.

Sending EUR to France

The currency of France is the Euro (EUR). When you pay money in a different currency, it has to be converted somewhere along the way.

Which bank converts the payment matters. Compare how much EUR arrives via different services; the difference between options can be larger than you expect. Rates for EUR move all the time – some providers let you lock in a rate.

Banks in France starting with :letter

This page shows only banks in France whose name starts with :letter, sorted alphabetically. The totals mentioned here apply to every bank we list, not just the ones under :letter.

If a bank does not appear under :letter, try another letter: banks are often registered under their full legal name. The complete list remains one click away when the letter filter does not help.

Sending money to France for less

An international bank payment to France often costs more than the fee suggests. There is the transfer fee, possibly fees from correspondent banks and, above all, the margin on the exchange rate when currencies differ.

The markup on the rate is often the biggest part of the cost, even though it is not listed as a fee. Compare the bank’s rate against the mid-market rate, the midpoint you see on financial news sites. The difference is your real cost.

For a lot of currency pairs, a transfer service turns out to be less expensive than a traditional bank transfer, mainly because of the rate. GoldexPay compares the amount that arrives in France with different services, which makes the cheapest option easy to spot.

How long does a transfer to France take?

How fast a payment arrives in France is determined by a few things: which currency you send, how many intermediary banks are involved, daily processing deadlines and differences in time zone. Transfers sent late in the day or just before weekends and holidays usually start the next business day.

Many banks are connected to SWIFT gpi for faster and traceable payments. Each payment carries a unique reference, the UETR, which the sending bank can use to trace it. Money transfer services often show a status online so you can follow the payment.

Paying in euros to France

France is part of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), where euro transfers follow common rules. For a standard euro transfer within SEPA, the IBAN is usually enough and the BIC is often filled in automatically.

A SWIFT code still come into play when the currency is not euros and when the money comes from outside SEPA. SEPA transfers usually arrive within one business day, and instant transfers in seconds where both banks support them. Provided the payment stays in euros, the transfer tends to be cheap.