SWIFT/BIC codes in France: banks starting with U

France: banks and their SWIFT/BIC codes

On this page you find codes for 2801 institutions in France – 4924 codes altogether. Every code identifies a bank or one of its branches and tells other banks where an international payment should go.

Search for the bank you need in the list and click through for the full list of codes and the details a transfer needs. Below the list you can read how a code from France is put together, how to send money there without overpaying and what to check before you pay.

France and the SEPA area

France is part of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), the zone for uniform euro payments. For a regular euro transfer from another SEPA country, the IBAN is usually enough; many banks no longer ask for the BIC.

The BIC does matter for payments in other currencies. Instant euro transfers have become increasingly available across SEPA. Costs stay low provided no currency is converted; the conversion is where it gets expensive.

How SWIFT codes from France are built

Every SWIFT/BIC code has eight or eleven characters, always in the same order. First comes a four-letter bank code, followed by two letters for the country and a two-character location code.

You can spot a bank code from France from the fifth and sixth characters – those always form the country code of France. When the country letters point to another country, 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 short version works just as well. Use a branch code just when the recipient explicitly gives you one.

About our data and how to check a code

Ask the recipient to send you their bank details directly from their online banking. When the code you were given does not match the code listed here, stop and ask.

We collect bank codes using publicly available data and update our list regularly. Even so, banks merge or change codes, so information can be out of date. Before a payment of any size, confirm the BIC with the recipient’s bank. GoldexPay is not a bank and is not affiliated with the banks listed.

Watch out for payment requests containing a new account, especially when they come by email. Always confirm changed details through a separate channel.

Filter: banks in France with :letter

This filter limits the list to banks from France that begin with :letter to make searching quicker. The totals mentioned above always cover the whole country and not only this selection.

If the bank you need does not appear here, check another letter. The full overview for France is one click away when the letter filter does not help.

Receiving money in France from abroad

For a transfer from abroad in France, the person paying you needs not just the SWIFT code. Give them your name as registered with the bank, the IBAN or account number, your bank’s SWIFT code and your address.

Your bank’s code is in the list on this page. You can add the name and city of your bank as well, since some payment forms ask for it.

The amount you receive can be less than the amount sent. Charges on incoming payments differ per bank; check the price list of your bank. Agree with the sender who pays which costs before the money is sent.

Sending EUR to France

France uses the Euro. If you send another currency, it has to be converted somewhere along the way – by your bank, a bank in between or the recipient’s bank.

Which bank converts the payment matters, because each party uses its own rate. In many cases it is cheaper to send EUR directly through a transfer service that converts near the mid-market rate. On larger amounts, a seemingly small gap in the rate adds up quickly.

Bank or transfer service for France?

When you send money to France with your bank, the fee you see is rarely all of the cost. There is a transfer fee, sometimes charges from intermediary banks and, above all, the margin on the exchange rate.

That exchange rate margin tends to be the largest cost item. Compare the bank’s rate with the mid-market rate.

For many routes, a transfer service turns out to be cheaper than a bank – mostly thanks to the exchange rate. GoldexPay compares transfer services next to each other so you can see what actually arrives in France for the same amount sent.

Tracking a payment to France

An international transfer to France typically takes anywhere from one to several business days – it depends on currency, route and the banks in between. Bank holidays in either country can add extra days.

Many banks are connected to SWIFT gpi for faster and traceable payments. Every payment carries a unique reference, the UETR. Specialist transfer services usually show a status in their app.

Which bank in France has the most codes?

Credit Agricole tops our list for France when it comes to the number of SWIFT/BIC codes. The head office uses AGRIFRPP802, which is the code to use when no branch is specified.

The number of codes says more about how it organises its payments than about its size. If not a branch code is given, the head office code AGRIFRPP802 works for a payment to Credit Agricole.