SWIFT/BIC codes in Germany: banks starting with O

SWIFT/BIC codes in Germany

Our directory covers 2804 banks and financial institutions in Germany and 8518 SWIFT/BIC codes between them. Each code identifies a bank or one of its branches.

Search for the bank you need below and click through for all codes we have and what else a transfer requires. Below the list we explain how codes from Germany are built, how to send money to Germany at a fair price and what to check before you pay.

Verifying a SWIFT code from Germany

The most reliable source for a SWIFT code is the bank details provided by the recipient: an invoice, a statement or their online banking. If the code you have differs from the code listed here, stop and ask.

The directory on GoldexPay is based on publicly available sources that we update periodically. Institutions merge, close branches and change codes. Treat this list as a reference rather than the last word: the bank details from the recipient come first. GoldexPay is not a bank and is not affiliated with the banks listed.

Fraudsters often send fake invoices with changed bank details from what looks like a familiar address. A real SWIFT code says nothing about whether a request is genuine: criminals use real codes too.

Filter: banks in Germany with :letter

Here you see a filtered list: just banks in Germany with a name starting with :letter. The totals mentioned here cover every bank we list, not just the ones under :letter.

Cannot find the bank? The registered name may start with a different letter – think of the full legal name instead of the brand. The full overview for Germany remains one click away when you cannot find the bank here.

Bank or transfer service for Germany?

A bank transfer to Germany can cost rather more than you think. You pay a transfer fee, possibly fees from correspondent banks and, above all, the margin on the exchange rate when currencies differ.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, rather than in the fee. Compare the rate you are offered with the mid-market rate, the midpoint you see on financial news sites; the gap is what conversion costs you.

Specialist money transfer services often use a rate near the mid-market rate. GoldexPay compares what recipients in Germany receive across services.

Which bank in Germany has the most codes?

Of all banks we list for Germany, Deutsche Bank AG is listed with the largest number of codes. Its head office code is DEUTDE2HXXX, which is the code to use when no branch is specified.

Banks differ in whether they register branch codes, so the count is not a ranking of size. Paying someone at Deutsche Bank AG? Use DEUTDE2HXXX except when the recipient gives you a branch code.

How SWIFT codes from Germany are built

Bank identifier codes use one international format: 8 characters. It starts with a four-letter bank code, followed by a two-letter country code and a two-character location code.

You can spot a code from Germany by the fifth and sixth characters. Codes with a different country code come from another country, even if the bank name looks familiar.

The optional last three characters identify a branch or department; XXX is used for the head office. Use a branch code only if the recipient explicitly gives you one – otherwise stick with the head office.

What a sender needs to pay you in Germany

To receive a transfer from abroad in Germany, the person paying you has to have more than the SWIFT code. Share the account holder’s name, your account number or IBAN, the BIC of your bank and your address, which some banks require.

Find your bank in the list on this page to check its code – your bank statement is the final word. Some sending banks also want your bank’s address; it does no harm to include it.

What lands in your account can be lower than the amount sent. Fees for incoming transfers differ from bank to bank – your bank’s price list tells you what applies. For business payments, state how the fees are split.

How long does a transfer to Germany take?

There is no fixed delivery time for transfers to Germany: some land within a day. Public holidays in Germany or in the sending country add extra days to the journey.

When a payment takes longer than expected, ask the sender to contact the sending bank for a trace – the receiving bank often cannot see a payment that has not arrived. Money transfer services usually show tracking online, which makes it easier to see where the money is.

Paying in EUR: what conversion costs you

The local currency of Germany is the Euro (EUR). When you pay another currency, it has to be converted somewhere along the way: by your bank, an intermediary or the receiving bank.

Who does the conversion affects the final amount, since every bank sets its own rate. Often you pay less if you send EUR directly through a provider that converts near the mid-market rate. Exchange rates change all the time – some providers let you lock in a rate.

Euro payments to Germany: is a BIC needed?

Within the SEPA zone, euro payments to Germany follow the same rules. A field for the BIC is often optional in that case.

You will still need a SWIFT code for non-euro payments or money from outside the SEPA area. Instant payments in euros have become increasingly supported within SEPA, though not every bank offers them for every account. Provided the payment stays in euros, a SEPA transfer is usually inexpensive.