Bank Mellat SWIFT/BIC code

What BKMTIRTH means for a payment to Bank Mellat

If an invoice shows BKMTIRTH or BKMTIRTHXXX, you are looking at the same address for Bank Mellat in Iran. A SWIFT code shows the banks handling a payment which institution is meant to get the money, much like a postcode for banks. It comes up mainly when dealing with transfers between countries.

This page is meant to help anyone who receives money at an account at Bank Mellat and wants to get the details right. Remember that the SWIFT code only identifies the bank, not the account: the IBAN or account number does that part.

Before you send: check the Bank Mellat code

Have the recipient send you the bank details straight from a recent statement. When the code you were given differs from BKMTIRTH or BKMTIRTHXXX, do not guess – contact the recipient or Bank Mellat.

Errors in the BIC are annoying rather than fatal. Remember the account number: a mistake there can be harder to undo than a wrong code.

Most online banking apps validate the structure of an IBAN and sometimes look up the BIC automatically – that confirms the format, not the owner. Where available, a payee name check on the recipient gives extra certainty. For a first payment, many people start with a small test amount.

Where our SWIFT data comes from

This directory draws on publicly available sources and is updated regularly. Even so, banks merge, rename themselves or change codes. The figures on this page reflect our own data.

See our directory here as a handy check and rely on the recipient or Bank Mellat for the final confirmation. GoldexPay is independent of Bank Mellat, we only compare transfer services. Spotted an error? Let us know via our contact form and we will look into it.

8 or 11 characters: BKMTIRTH versus BKMTIRTHXXX

A BIC is built from fixed blocks: characters one to four identify the bank, the next two give the country and characters seven and eight mark the location. That gives you BKMTIRTH, the short form of the code.

Many banks and apps accept either length. If yours requires eleven characters, enter BKMTIRTHXXX; if it wants eight, use BKMTIRTH.

Do not add spaces or dashes when you type BKMTIRTH or BKMTIRTHXXX. Pasting the code is safer than typing it by hand: a typo can point to another bank.

Getting paid from abroad into a Bank Mellat account

For a transfer from abroad at Bank Mellat, the person paying you needs not just the SWIFT code. The basics are: your name, account number or IBAN, BKMTIRTHXXX or BKMTIRTH and in many cases your home address.

It helps to add the bank name and its city as well, because some payment forms have separate fields for them. A mistake in your account number can be harder to fix than it looks.

The amount you receive can be less than the amount sent. Intermediary banks may deduct a fee, Bank Mellat may charge for incoming payments, and if the money is converted, a markup on the rate applies. Make clear with the sender who covers the fees.

Sending money abroad from Bank Mellat

What you pay for a payment abroad is made up of several parts. You pay the fee for the transfer itself, sometimes charges from correspondent banks along the way and, above all, the exchange rate markup when the money is converted.

That exchange rate margin is often the largest cost even though it is not listed as a fee. Check the rate you are offered against the mid-market rate; the gap is what conversion costs you.

Specialist money transfer services frequently offer rates closer to the mid-market rate. On GoldexPay we compare the amount that arrives across providers, so you can pick the cheapest route. You can still keep your account at Bank Mellat as the source of the money; only the conversion and sending happen elsewhere.

Transfer times and tracking a payment to Bank Mellat

How fast a payment reaches Bank Mellat depends on several factors: the currency, how many intermediary banks are involved, daily processing deadlines and differences in time zone. Payments made late in the day or on weekends and holidays often start the next business day. Occasionally a bank asks what the payment is for, which can hold things up.

When a payment takes longer than expected, ask your bank about the tracking status and the transaction reference. Money transfer services often provide tracking online showing where the payment has got.

The bank that sent the money is able to start an official trace or a recall – the recipient’s bank often cannot see a payment that has not arrived. Ask the sender for a copy of the payment confirmation.

Watch out for payment fraud

One of the most common tricks works like this: an email arrives with a message claiming that a contact now has new bank details. That BKMTIRTH is a real code is no guarantee that a request mentioning it is legitimate – fraudsters use real bank codes as well.

Never rely on contact details in the same message that contains the change. Be suspicious of time pressure, odd spelling or a sender address that is slightly off. When a payment has already gone to the wrong account, contact your bank immediately: the sooner they act, the better the chance of a recall.

Fraud can also target the receiver: someone sends more than agreed and asks you to refund the extra. Do not act before the money has really arrived – ask Bank Mellat if something looks wrong.

Bank Mellat: head office code versus branch codes

Our database contains 110 SWIFT/BIC codes for Bank Mellat. Next to the head office code BKMTIRTHXXX, you will find codes for branches, departments or specific services.

Unless the recipient tells you otherwise, go with BKMTIRTHXXX. Just use a branch code when your contact explicitly asks for it.

When in doubt, ask the person you are paying which code their bank gave them. Branch codes are sometimes changed or retired over time, so do not rely on old paperwork.