SWIFT/BIC codes in Ireland: banks starting with H

Ireland: banks and their SWIFT/BIC codes

In Ireland our database holds 1087 SWIFT/BIC codes from 675 banks. You will need a SWIFT/BIC code mainly when making international transfers and for payments in a foreign currency.

Search for the recipient’s bank below and click through to see the full list of codes. Further down you can read how codes from Ireland are built, how to send money there at a fair price and how to check a code before you pay.

SWIFT codes in Ireland: banks under :letter

This list only shows the banks in Ireland beginning with :letter, sorted alphabetically. The totals mentioned above always refer to all banks in Ireland, not just this letter.

Cannot find the bank? Its official name may begin with another word – think of the full legal name instead of the brand. The complete list is one click away if the letter filter does not help.

Check the code before you pay

The most reliable source for a SWIFT code is the bank details provided by the recipient. A wrong code may lead to a delay, a returned payment or extra fees – compare it with the code in our list.

We gather bank codes from public sources and check them from time to time. Even so, banks merge or change codes and our data may lag behind. Treat our data as a starting point; the recipient’s bank details are leading. We are a comparison service and not part of any bank listed here.

Watch out for invoices containing changed bank details. A real SWIFT code says nothing about whether a request is genuine: criminals use real codes too.

Incoming international payments in Ireland

When you expect a payment from another country in Ireland, give the sender all details at once. In practice that means: your full name exactly as it appears on the account, your IBAN or account number, the BIC of your bank and sometimes your postal address.

Your bank’s code appears in the list on this page but always compare it with your own bank details. It helps to include your bank’s name and city as well, since some payment forms ask for it.

What lands in your account is often lower than the amount sent. Intermediary banks may deduct a fee, your bank may charge for incoming payments, and if the money is converted, a markup on the rate applies. Make clear with the sender who pays which costs before the money is sent.

Bank or transfer service for Ireland?

What you pay for a transfer to Ireland is made up of more than one component. You pay a transfer fee, possibly fees from correspondent banks along the way and, most importantly, the exchange rate markup if the money is converted.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, not in the fee. An easy check: put the offered rate next to the mid-market rate and work out the difference on your amount.

Specialised transfer providers frequently use a rate near the mid-market rate with clearer fees. GoldexPay lists these providers side by side so you can see what actually arrives in Ireland for the same amount sent.

What the letters in a Ireland BIC mean

A SWIFT code is 8 or 11 characters long and follows a fixed pattern. It starts with a four-letter bank code, then a two-letter country code and a two-character location code.

For banks in Ireland, characters five and six show the two-letter ISO code of Ireland. Codes with a different country code come from another country – a quick way to catch mistakes.

The long version ends in three characters for a branch, where XXX means the head office. Use a branch code only when the recipient’s bank asks for it.

The largest SWIFT network in Ireland: Danske Bank A/S

Of all banks we list for Ireland, Danske Bank A/S is listed with the most codes. Its head office code is DABAIE2DXXX, which is the code to use when no branch is specified.

Practice differs in how many codes they register – a high count is not a measure of size. Paying someone at Danske Bank A/S? Go with DABAIE2DXXX except when the recipient gives you a branch code.

Ireland and the Euro

Ireland uses the Euro, with the currency code EUR. If you send another currency, the amount has to be converted at some point: by your bank, an intermediary or the receiving bank.

Where the conversion happens affects how much arrives. In many cases it is cheaper to send EUR straight away via a provider with a good rate rather than letting the receiving bank convert. Exchange rates move all the time – some providers let you lock in a rate.

Euro payments to Ireland: is a BIC needed?

Within the SEPA zone, euro payments to Ireland use common rules and in most cases need only the IBAN. The BIC field is usually optional for those payments.

You still need the BIC for payments in other currencies or money from outside the SEPA area. Euro payments within SEPA normally land within one business day, and instant transfers in seconds where both banks support them. Fees are generally low provided everything stays in euros – conversion is what costs money.

Tracking a payment to Ireland

There is no fixed answer for transfers to Ireland: many arrive the same day or the next while others need several business days. Bank holidays in Ireland or in the sending country can add extra days, because banks do not process payments on those days.

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, which the sending bank can use to trace it. Save your transfer receipt until the money has arrived; a bank needs it to start a trace.