SWIFT/BIC codes in Italy

SWIFT/BIC codes in Italy

This directory covers 3414 banks and financial institutions in Italy, with 26259 SWIFT/BIC codes in total. A SWIFT code tells the banks handling a transfer exactly which bank is meant to get an international payment.

Select the bank below to view its head office code and its other codes along with tips for payments to and from that bank. Below the list you can read how a code from Italy is put together, how to send money to Italy without overpaying and what to check before you pay.

Bank or transfer service for Italy?

When you transfer money to Italy through a regular bank, the stated fee is rarely all of what you pay. Besides a fixed fee, intermediary banks can take a cut, and when the money is converted the bank often uses a rate below the actual market rate.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, rather than in the fee. An easy check: set the offered rate next to the mid-market rate and work out the difference on your amount.

For many routes, a specialist provider is less expensive than a bank, mainly because of the rate. Before your next transfer to Italy, it is worth to compare the total cost on GoldexPay instead of going straight to your bank.

Italy and the SEPA area

Since Italy is in SEPA, a euro payment to an account in Italy usually only needs the IBAN. Many banks no longer ask for the BIC for these payments.

You will still need the BIC for non-euro payments or money from outside the SEPA area. Instant payments in euros are widely supported across SEPA. Provided the payment stays in euros, a SEPA transfer tends to be cheap.

Tracking a payment to Italy

A SWIFT payment to Italy typically takes one to a few business days. Bank holidays in Italy or in the sending country add a day or more, because banks do not process payments on those days.

If a transfer is late, the sender should contact their own bank for a trace; only the sending side can start an official trace. Money transfer services usually show a status in their app.

Unicredit SPA and its SWIFT codes

Unicredit SPA leads the list for Italy when it comes to the number of SWIFT/BIC codes. The head office uses UNCRITM1001, which is the code to use when no branch is specified.

Banks differ in whether they register branch codes – a high count is not a measure of size. Paying someone at Unicredit SPA? Go with UNCRITM1001 except when the recipient gives you a branch code.

Italy and the Euro

Most accounts in Italy are typically held in EUR – the Euro. If you send another currency, it gets converted at some point.

Where the conversion happens has an effect on how much arrives. Often it is cheaper to send EUR directly through a provider with a good rate rather than letting the receiving bank convert. With bigger transfers, even a small gap in the rate can be worth more than the fee.

Verifying a SWIFT code from Italy

The most reliable place for the right code remains paperwork issued by the bank. If the code you have differs from our list, do not guess.

We gather bank codes from public sources and check our list from time to time. Banks merge, change names and change codes, and no directory catches every change immediately. Before a payment that matters, confirm the BIC with the recipient. GoldexPay is an independent comparison site and is not affiliated with the banks listed.

Scammers often send fake invoices carrying changed bank details from what looks like a familiar address. A valid BIC says nothing about who owns the account: criminals use real codes too.

The structure of a Italy SWIFT/BIC code

A SWIFT code is 8 or 11 characters long and follows a fixed pattern. First comes four letters for the bank, then two letters for the country and a two-character location code.

You can spot a code from Italy from letters five and six. When the country letters point to another country, you are looking at a bank somewhere else, so check again.

The last three characters, if present, identify a branch or department; XXX means the head office. In most cases the head office code is fine, unless the recipient gives you a branch code.

What a sender needs to pay you in Italy

To receive an international payment in Italy, the sender needs more than the BIC. That means: your full name as your bank knows it, your account number or IBAN, the BIC of your bank and usually your postal address.

Your bank’s code appears in the list on this page. You can include your bank’s name and city.

Expect that the incoming amount is smaller than the amount on the sender’s receipt. Fees for incoming transfers vary per bank. Agree with the sender who covers the fees, especially for larger amounts.