Bank Sepah SWIFT/BIC code

What SEPBIRTH means for a payment to Bank Sepah

If an invoice shows SEPBIRTH or SEPBIRTHXXX, it is the identical identifier for Bank Sepah in Iran. Every bank on the SWIFT network uses BIC codes to direct international transfers to the right institution. In daily life you usually come across the code on international invoices, in your banking app and in the bank details of Bank Sepah customers.

On this page you can read what the code means, when it matters and which other details you need for a transfer to or from Bank Sepah. Keep in mind that the SWIFT code only identifies the bank, not the account: the account number or IBAN takes care of that.

Receiving money from abroad at Bank Sepah

Someone abroad who wants to pay you needs a few details about your account, and missing ones are a common cause of delays. That means: your name as registered with Bank Sepah, your account number or IBAN, the BIC SEPBIRTHXXX and usually your postal address.

Certain sending banks want the address of Bank Sepah in Tehran, so keep it at hand. A mistake in the IBAN can be harder to fix than it looks; copy them from your banking app rather than typing.

Do not be surprised if the amount credited is smaller than what the sender paid. Charges on incoming payments differ from bank to bank – the price list of Bank Sepah tells you what applies. For business payments, it is common to agree how the fees are split to avoid a shortfall.

Head office or branch code at Bank Sepah?

Our database contains 44 SWIFT/BIC codes for Bank Sepah. Besides the head office code SEPBIRTHXXX, there are codes for regional offices and specialised units.

Unless the recipient tells you otherwise, go with SEPBIRTHXXX or its short form SEPBIRTH. Branch codes are only needed when the recipient’s bank specifically asks for it.

Not sure which code to use? Ask the recipient, or look at a recent statement from Bank Sepah. Codes for branches are more prone to change than SEPBIRTHXXX when a bank merges or closes offices.

8 or 11 characters: SEPBIRTH versus SEPBIRTHXXX

The structure of a BIC never changes: four characters for the institution, two for the country and two for the location, sometimes followed by a branch code. That gives you SEPBIRTH, the short form of the code.

XXX at the end of SEPBIRTHXXX does not stand for a placeholder or a mistake: it stands for the head office of Bank Sepah. Some forms insist on 11 characters, in which case you simply enter XXX after SEPBIRTH.

As a rule the code is written in capitals and without spaces. A single letter may route the money to another bank.

Verifying the SWIFT code of Bank Sepah

The safest source for a SWIFT code is the bank details provided by the recipient – an invoice, a statement or a screenshot from online banking. If the code you have does not match SEPBIRTH or SEPBIRTHXXX, stop and ask – contact the recipient or Bank Sepah.

Mistakes in the BIC tend to be costly rather than fatal – usually the money comes back, minus fees and time lost. Remember the account number: an error there is harder to undo than a wrong BIC.

Most online banking apps check the format of IBANs and some suggest the matching BIC. More and more banks compare the payee name against the account before you confirm – do not ignore a mismatch warning. For a first payment, some people start with a small amount first before sending the rest.

How long does an international transfer to Bank Sepah take?

There is no fixed answer: many arrive within a day, others take several business days. Weekends and public holidays in the sending or receiving country add extra days. Occasionally a bank wants to know about the purpose of a payment, which can hold things up.

If the money seems delayed, contact the sending bank for the tracking status or the UETR; with that reference banks can see where the payment is. Keep the payment confirmation until the money has arrived.

Only the sending bank is able to request a trace. Request from the sender the payment receipt with the date and reference – it helps your own bank look for the money.

Protect yourself against fake payment requests

Stay alert if a contact suddenly wants you to pay into another account abroad. A correct SWIFT code tells you nothing about whether the request is genuine.

Check changed bank details via a different channel like a call to a number from an earlier contract. Be suspicious of time pressure, odd spelling or an email address that differs by one letter. If a payment has already gone to the wrong account, call your bank right away – speed improves the chance of getting it back.

People receiving money can be targeted as well: a classic trick is a buyer who pays too much and then sends a request to refund the difference to another account. A payment confirmation from the sender proves nothing.

Paying someone abroad from your Bank Sepah account

What you pay for a payment abroad has more than one component. You pay the fee for the transfer itself, sometimes charges from correspondent banks in between and, above all, the margin on the exchange rate if the currency changes.

That exchange rate margin tends to be the biggest item because it is hidden in the rate. Check their rate with the mid-market rate, the midpoint between buy and sell rates you see on financial sites; the gap is what conversion costs you.

For a lot of routes, a specialist provider is less expensive than a traditional bank transfer, mainly because of the exchange rate. GoldexPay compares transfer providers next to each other so you can see the amount the recipient gets. Choosing a specialist does not require closing your account at Bank Sepah – you pay the provider from your own account.

How up to date is this code?

We gather bank codes from publicly available data and check them regularly. Institutions reorganise, change names and change codes – a directory can be a step behind. The figures we show reflect what is in our directory, not official figures from Bank Sepah.

See our directory on this page as a handy check and rely on the recipient or Bank Sepah for the final confirmation. We are an independent comparison service and not part of Bank Sepah. Spotted an error? Tell us via our contact form so we can correct it.