SWIFT/BIC codes in India: banks starting with Q

Bank SWIFT codes for India

This directory contains 394 banks and other institutions in India, with 4272 SWIFT/BIC codes in total. Each code points to an institution or a specific branch or department, so a payment from abroad reaches the right place.

Select the bank below to see the head office code and any branch codes. Below the list you can read how codes from India are built, how to send money to India without overpaying and what to check before you pay.

Tracking a payment to India

How fast a payment reaches India is determined by a few things: the currency, the number of banks in between, daily processing deadlines and differences in time zone. Transfers sent late in the day or on weekends and holidays often go out a business day later.

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

How reliable is this list?

The best place to find the correct BIC is a document from the bank itself, such as a statement or the account page in online banking. A wrong code can cause a delay, a returned payment or additional charges.

The directory on GoldexPay draws on public sources that we update periodically. Institutions reorganise, change names and retire codes, and no directory catches every change immediately. Treat our data as a reference rather than the last word. GoldexPay is an independent comparison site and is not affiliated with the banks listed.

Scammers often use fake invoices with new bank details. A real SWIFT code tells you nothing about who owns the account – scammers use the codes of real banks.

SWIFT codes in India: banks under :letter

Here you see a selection: just institutions in India with a name starting with :letter. The figures for India on this page cover every bank we list and not only this letter.

If a bank is missing under :letter, try another letter – the registered name can differ from the name people use. The full overview for India is available if you cannot find the bank here.

What a transfer to India really costs

The price of a payment to India has more than one component, and the fee on your screen is only one of them. Besides a fixed fee, correspondent banks can take a cut, and when the money is converted the bank often applies a less favourable rate than the actual market rate.

That exchange rate margin tends to be the biggest part of the cost because it is hidden in the rate. An easy check: set the rate you get next to the mid-market rate and work out the difference on your amount.

Money transfer services frequently use rates closer to the mid-market rate and lower fees. Before you send money to India, take a minute to compare the total cost via GoldexPay instead of going straight to your bank.

Paying a bank in India from abroad

India is not part of the SEPA area. Payments from abroad usually go through the SWIFT network – which is why you need the BIC of the recipient’s bank.

Depending on the country, the account is identified by a local account number instead of an IBAN and sometimes a local routing or branch code. Ask the recipient which details their bank requires for payments from abroad – many banks give clear instructions for this. Before it arrives, a transfer can pass through correspondent banks that charge for their part.

Recognising a SWIFT code from India

Every SWIFT/BIC code consists of 8 or 11 characters in a fixed order. First comes a four-letter bank code, then a two-letter country code and two characters for the location.

You can recognise a code from India from the fifth and sixth characters: they always show the ISO country code of India. Codes with a different country code belong to another country.

If the last three are XXX, it means the head office and the short version works just as well. In most cases the head office code is fine.

Getting paid from abroad into an account in India

If you expect money from abroad in India, send the payer everything they need in one go. In practice that means: your name as your bank knows it, your IBAN or account number, the BIC of your bank and usually your postal address.

Find your bank in the list above and compare the code with your own bank details. It helps to add the name and city of your bank as well, since some payment forms ask for it.

The amount you receive can be lower than the amount sent. Correspondent banks can take a fee, and when currencies differ, a markup on the rate comes on top. Agree with the sender who pays which costs.

State Bank of India and its SWIFT codes

Of all banks in India, State Bank of India has the most codes. The head office of State Bank of India has SBININBBXXX; that is usually the right code for a transfer.

Practice differs in how many codes they register, so the count is not a ranking of size. Making a payment to State Bank of India? Use SBININBBXXX except when the recipient gives you a branch code.

Paying in INR: what conversion costs you

India uses the Indian Rupee. When you pay another currency, it has to be converted at some point – by your bank, a bank in between or the recipient’s bank.

Which bank converts the money makes a difference, because each party uses its own rate. Often it is cheaper if you send INR straight away via a provider that converts near the mid-market rate rather than letting the receiving bank convert. Exchange rates change all the time – some providers let you lock in a rate.