SWIFT/BIC codes in Haiti

SWIFT/BIC codes in Haiti

On this page you find the SWIFT/BIC codes of 11 banks in Haiti, 14 codes in all. Each code points to an institution or one of its branches, so a payment from abroad reaches the right place.

Look for the recipient’s bank below and click through for the full list of codes. Further down you can read how a code from Haiti is put together, how to send money to Haiti without overpaying and how to check a code before you pay.

SWIFT transfers to Haiti

For Haiti you usually need a SWIFT/BIC code – Haiti is not a SEPA country. Without it, your bank will not process the transfer.

In some countries, accounts are identified by a local account number instead of an IBAN, sometimes with an extra bank or branch code. Ask the recipient exactly which details their bank needs for payments from abroad; banks often publish instructions for this. Before it arrives, a payment can go through correspondent banks that charge for their part.

Verifying a SWIFT code from Haiti

Ask the recipient to copy the account details directly from a recent statement. An incorrect BIC can cause a delay, a returned payment or additional charges, so compare it with the list on this page.

Our SWIFT/BIC directory draws on public sources. Still, banks merge, rename themselves or retire codes and our data may lag behind. Treat our data as a reference, not as the final word: the bank details from the recipient come first. GoldexPay is an independent comparison site and has no link to the banks in this list.

Fraudsters often send fake invoices with changed bank details. Before paying, verify a change of bank details by phone, using a number you already had.

Incoming international payments in Haiti

For an international payment into a Haiti account, the sender has to have not just the BIC. Give them the account holder’s name, the IBAN or account number, your bank’s SWIFT code and your address, which some banks require.

Find the bank in the list above and compare the code with your own bank details. It helps to include your bank’s name and city.

Expect that the amount credited is below the amount on the sender’s receipt. Charges on incoming payments vary per bank – your bank’s price list tells you what applies. On invoices, state who bears the costs.

Societe Generale Haitienne de Banque S.A. and its SWIFT codes

Societe Generale Haitienne de Banque S.A. tops the list of Haiti banks when it comes to the number of SWIFT/BIC codes. Its head office code is SOGHHTPPXXX.

The number of codes says something about how it registers branches and services than about its size. If not the recipient asks for a branch, the head office code SOGHHTPPXXX works for a payment to Societe Generale Haitienne de Banque S.A..

Transfer times to Haiti

A SWIFT payment to Haiti typically takes one to a few business days, depending on the currency, the route and the banks involved. Payments made after the cut-off time or just before weekends and holidays often go out a business day later.

When a payment takes longer than expected, the sender should contact their own bank and ask for the status or the UETR – the receiving bank often cannot see a payment that has not arrived. Money transfer services usually provide tracking in their app so you can follow the payment.

What a transfer to Haiti really costs

An international bank payment to Haiti can cost more than you think. There is a transfer fee, sometimes charges from intermediary banks and, most importantly, the margin on the exchange rate.

The markup on the rate tends to be the largest cost item. Check the rate you are offered against the mid-market rate, the midpoint you see on financial news sites; the gap is what conversion costs you.

Specialist money transfer services frequently use a rate near the mid-market rate and lower fees. On GoldexPay we compare what recipients in Haiti receive across providers.

What the letters in a Haiti BIC mean

A SWIFT code is 8 or 11 characters long. The first four letters stand for the bank, characters five and six form the country code and characters seven and eight give the location.

For banks in Haiti, characters five and six are the two-letter ISO code of Haiti, which makes these codes easy to recognise. A code with a different country code belong to another country.

The long version ends in a branch code, where XXX means the head office. Use a branch code only when the recipient explicitly gives you one.