SWIFT/BIC codes in Honduras

Honduras: banks and their SWIFT/BIC codes

In Honduras we have 53 SWIFT/BIC codes, spread over 49 institutions. You need such a code mainly when making international transfers and for payments in a foreign currency.

Each bank is listed with its own page showing its main code and if there are any, codes for branches and departments. Further down we explain how codes from Honduras are built, how to send money there without overpaying and what to check before you pay.

Verifying a SWIFT code from Honduras

Have the recipient send you their bank details straight from their online banking. If the code you have differs from our list, stop and ask.

We gather bank codes using publicly available data and check them regularly. Even so, banks merge, rename themselves or retire codes. For any payment of any size, confirm the code with the recipient. GoldexPay is not a bank.

Watch out for payment requests with a new account – a common fraud method. A valid BIC tells you nothing about who owns the account: criminals use real codes too.

Paying a bank in Honduras from abroad

To pay into Honduras you will almost always need the BIC, because the country is outside the SEPA area. Without the BIC, most banks will not process the payment.

Depending on the country, the account is identified by a local account number rather than an IBAN. Ask the recipient exactly which details their bank requires for incoming international payments. Before it arrives, a transfer can go through correspondent banks that take a fee.

The structure of a Honduras SWIFT/BIC code

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 two characters for the location.

Whatever the bank, every code from Honduras share the same fifth and sixth letters, namely the ISO code of Honduras. If the country letters point to another country, the code belongs to a bank somewhere else – worth double-checking.

The last three characters, if present, identify a branch or department; XXX means the head office. Choose a branch code just when the recipient’s bank asks for it.

Most SWIFT codes in Honduras: Banco de Occidente S.A.

In our directory, Banco de Occidente S.A. has the largest number of SWIFT/BIC codes in Honduras. Its main office uses BOCCHNTEXXX.

Practice differs in how many codes they register. Paying someone at Banco de Occidente S.A.? Use BOCCHNTEXXX except when a specific branch code is requested.

Transfer times to Honduras

There is no fixed answer for transfers to Honduras: some arrive within a day. Payments made late in the day or on weekends and holidays often go out a business day later.

Many banks use SWIFT gpi. Each gpi transfer gets a unique reference, the UETR, which the sending bank can use to trace it. Money transfer services usually provide tracking online, which makes it easier to see where the money is.

Sending money to Honduras for less

What you pay for a transfer to Honduras is made up of several parts – not only the fee you see. On top of the fee, intermediary banks can deduct a charge, and when the money is converted the bank often applies a less favourable rate than the real market rate.

The real cost is often in the rate: banks convert at a rate with a margin built in. Compare the rate you are offered with the mid-market rate, the midpoint you see on financial news sites. The difference is your real cost.

Money transfer services often offer rates closer to the mid-market rate with clearer fees. Before you send money to Honduras, take a minute comparing the total cost on GoldexPay.

What a sender needs to pay you in Honduras

For a transfer from abroad in Honduras, the sender needs not just the SWIFT code. Give them the account holder’s name, your account number or IBAN, your bank’s SWIFT code and your address, which some banks require.

The code of your bank appears in our list. Certain sending banks may also ask for the name and address of your bank; it does no harm to include it.

What lands in your account can be less than the amount sent. Fees for incoming transfers differ from bank to bank – your bank’s price list tells you what applies. Make clear with the sender who covers the fees.