Royal Bank of Canada SWIFT/BIC code

What ROYCHKHH means for a payment to Royal Bank of Canada

ROYCHKHH and ROYCHKHHXXX are the short and the long form of the same SWIFT/BIC code, and both point to Royal Bank of Canada in Hong Kong. The code has a single purpose: it ensures that an international payment reaches the right bank. It comes up mainly when dealing with payments that cross a border.

This page is meant to help people who sends money to an account at Royal Bank of Canada. Remember that the BIC only identifies the bank, not the person: the IBAN or account number takes care of that.

Before you send: check the Royal Bank of Canada code

The safest source for the BIC is the recipient’s own bank details. Check it against ROYCHKHH on this page.

An incorrect BIC can cause a delay, a payment being sent back or extra fees for investigation. Remember the account number: an error there can be more difficult to undo than a wrong code.

A validity check by your bank merely confirms that the IBAN exists. If your bank offers it, a payee name check on the recipient adds an extra layer of safety. A small test payment can be a sensible step for a large first payment despite the extra fee.

Why Royal Bank of Canada has an 8- and an 11-character code

Each SWIFT/BIC code has the same eight core characters: a four-letter bank code, two letters for the country and two characters for the location. Combined, those parts form ROYCHKHH – the version you usually see online.

XXX at the end of ROYCHKHHXXX is not a missing value or an error: it indicates the main office of Royal Bank of Canada. Some banking apps ask for 11 characters, and then you can add XXX after ROYCHKHH.

In practice the code is typed in capitals. A single letter may route the money to another bank, so copy it carefully.

Receiving money from abroad at Royal Bank of Canada

For an international payment into your account at Royal Bank of Canada, the person paying you has to have not just the BIC. That means: your full name as registered with Royal Bank of Canada, your IBAN or account number, the SWIFT/BIC code ROYCHKHHXXX and sometimes your address.

Certain banks also ask for the name and address of Royal Bank of Canada. Double-check every detail before you send them, because the sender’s bank usually copies them as is.

Expect that the amount credited is smaller than the amount on the sender’s receipt. Fees for incoming transfers differ from bank to bank – the price list of Royal Bank of Canada tells you what applies. Agree with the sender who pays which costs, especially for larger amounts.

A note on our data

The directory on GoldexPay is compiled from public sources and we update it periodically. It can happen that information here is out of date after a merger or reorganisation. Counts and locations come from our directory and may differ from what Royal Bank of Canada publishes.

Use this page as a starting point, rather than as the final word: the recipient’s bank details come first. GoldexPay is an independent comparison service and not part of Royal Bank of Canada. If you notice something that is out of date, we welcome a short note.

Choosing between the 2 SWIFT codes of Royal Bank of Canada

Our directory lists 2 SWIFT/BIC codes for Royal Bank of Canada in 1 cities. Besides the head office code ROYCHKHHXXX, there are codes for individual branches and departments.

For the vast majority of payments to a private or business account, the head office code ROYCHKHHXXX is what you need. Just use a branch code when the recipient explicitly asks for it, for example on an invoice or in their bank details.

The best way is to copy the code directly from the account holder’s statement. Branch codes are sometimes changed or retired over time, so a code from an old document is not always valid.

Transfer times and tracking a payment to Royal Bank of Canada

There is no fixed delivery time for international payments: many land within a day, others take several business days. Transfers sent after the cut-off time or on weekends and holidays often go out the next business day. Occasionally a bank wants to know about the purpose of a payment.

A growing number of banks are connected to SWIFT gpi, which lets them follow a payment from bank to bank. Every payment gets a unique transaction reference, the UETR that banks can use to trace it. Save the payment confirmation – you will need it for any trace request.

Only the sending bank can start an official trace or a recall – the recipient’s bank often cannot see a payment that has not arrived. Request from the sender a copy of the payment confirmation; that often settles the question quickly.

Watch out for payment fraud

Be alert when someone unexpectedly wants you to pay into another account or a bank in another country. A valid SWIFT code tells you nothing about who owns the account: scammers use real codes of real banks.

Verify changed bank details through a different channel like a call to a number from an earlier contract, not by replying to the message. Be suspicious of time pressure, odd spelling or an email address that differs by one letter. Acted too fast? Call the bank you paid from straight away and ask them to start a recall and report the fraud.

Scams also work the other way: someone claims to have sent more than agreed and wants you to return the extra to a new account. Wait until the money is actually in your account – ask Royal Bank of Canada if something looks wrong.

Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) and conversion costs

Hong Kong SAR China uses the Hong Kong Dollar, with the currency code HKD. If you send money in a different currency gets converted at some point. You rarely see a separate charge for the conversion; it is built into the rate.

Who converts the payment makes a difference, because each party uses its own rate. Often it is cheaper to send HKD directly via a transfer service with a good rate, so that the receiving bank does not need to convert again.

Rates for HKD move during the day. On larger amounts, a small difference in the rate can be worth more than the fee.

Paying someone abroad from your Royal Bank of Canada account

What you pay for a payment abroad has more than one component, and the transfer fee is only the most visible one. On top of a fixed fee, correspondent or intermediary banks can take a cut, and if currencies are converted, the bank usually uses a rate below the actual market rate.

Banks rarely list the margin on the rate separately – you only notice it if you compare. A simple test: put the rate you get next to the mid-market rate for the same moment and work out the difference on your amount.

For many currency pairs, a specialist provider is less expensive than a traditional bank transfer, mainly because of the exchange rate. Before your next transfer, it is worth comparing what arrives via GoldexPay instead of going straight to your bank. Using a transfer service does not require leaving Royal Bank of Canada: you simply pay the service from your account.