Bank of Israel SWIFT/BIC code

Bank of Israel SWIFT code: ISRAILIJ

The short code ISRAILIJ and the 11-character code ISRAILIJXXX refer to the same bank: Bank of Israel, with its head office in Jerusalem. A BIC has a single purpose: it ensures that an international payment ends up at the right bank. You will need it mostly when dealing with transfers between countries or a currency.

We wrote this page to help people who pays into an account at Bank of Israel without mistakes. Keep in mind that the BIC only identifies the bank, not the account: the IBAN or account number takes care of that.

What a transfer from Bank of Israel abroad really costs

The price of a payment abroad is made up of several parts, and the transfer fee is only the most visible one. On top of a fixed fee, banks in between can take a cut, and when currencies are converted the bank often uses a rate below the actual market rate.

The markup on the rate is often the biggest cost, and it is easy to miss. A simple test: put the bank’s rate next to the mid-market rate and look at the difference.

Money transfer services often use rates closer to the mid-market rate with clearer fees. Next time you send money, take a minute to compare the total cost via GoldexPay. You can still keep your account at Bank of Israel as the source of the money.

Verifying the SWIFT code of Bank of Israel

The safest source for a SWIFT code is the recipient’s own bank details: an invoice, a bank statement or their online banking. Check it with ISRAILIJ on this page.

An incorrect BIC may lead to delays, a payment being sent back or additional charges. A mistake in the account number can be more serious, because the money may be credited to someone else.

A validity check by your bank only confirms that the IBAN exists, not that it is the right account. Some banks now check the payee name with the account – do not ignore a mismatch warning. A small test payment is a sensible step for a large first payment.

Head office or branch code at Bank of Israel?

With 2 codes in 1 locations, Bank of Israel belongs to the banks that use individual codes for parts of the organisation and departments. The main code is ISRAILIJXXX.

Usually you do not need to look up a branch: transfers sent to ISRAILIJXXX are routed within Bank of Israel without problems. When you receive a specific code, stick to it rather than replacing it with the head office code.

When in doubt, check with the recipient for the exact BIC in their bank details. Codes for branches are more likely to change than the head office code.

Watch out for payment fraud

Stay alert if a contact suddenly asks you to send money to a different account. A valid SWIFT code tells you nothing about whether the request is genuine.

Check new payment details through a separate channel like a call to a number from an earlier contract, never via the email that asked for the change. Be suspicious of time pressure, odd spelling or an email address that differs by one letter. Acted too fast? Call your bank straight away and ask them to start a recall; also report it to the police.

Scams also work the other way: someone sends too much and asks you to return the difference. Do not act before the money has really arrived – ask Bank of Israel if something looks wrong.

ISRAILIJ or ISRAILIJXXX – which one to use?

The layout of a BIC is always the same: four characters for the institution, a two-letter country code and two for the location. Combined, those parts make up ISRAILIJ – the version you usually see online.

The long version has three more characters for a branch or department. If the last three are XXX, they simply mean the head office, which is why ISRAILIJXXX and ISRAILIJ lead to the same place.

Do not add spaces when you enter ISRAILIJ. Pasting the code beats retyping it.

When will the money arrive at Bank of Israel?

A SWIFT payment typically takes one to a few business days, depending on the currency, the route and the banks involved. Weekends and public holidays in the sending or receiving country can add extra days, since banks do not process on those days. Sometimes a bank wants to know about the purpose of a payment before releasing it.

If a transfer seems late, ask your bank for the tracking status. Keep your transfer receipt until the recipient confirms; it contains the details a bank needs to start a trace.

The bank that sent the money is able to start an official trace or a recall. Request from the sender the payment receipt; that often settles the question quickly.

Receiving money from abroad at Bank of Israel

For a transfer from abroad at Bank of Israel, the sender has to have not just the SWIFT code. What they need is: the account holder’s name, account number or IBAN, ISRAILIJXXX or ISRAILIJ and often your home address.

The sender’s bank might also ask for the bank address of Bank of Israel. Double-check the details before you send them – a sender rarely spots a mistake in someone else’s details.

Do not be surprised if the amount credited is smaller than the amount on the sender’s receipt. Charges on incoming payments vary per bank. For business payments, it is common to state how the fees are split to avoid a shortfall.

About this information

The details here are taken from publicly available data that we update regularly. Institutions reorganise, change names and retire codes, and a directory never catches every change immediately. The figures on this page reflect our own data and not on information from Bank of Israel itself.

Use this page as a starting point, rather than as the last word. GoldexPay has no connection to Bank of Israel; we are a comparison site for money transfers. Should you notice something that is out of date, we appreciate a message.