Societe Generale S.A. SWIFT/BIC code

What SOGEITMM means for a payment to Societe Generale S.A.

Whether a recipient gives you SOGEITMM or SOGEITMMXXX, you are looking at the same address for Societe Generale S.A. in Italy. Every bank on the SWIFT network uses BIC codes to route payments between countries to the right institution. It comes up mainly for payments that cross a border and payments in foreign currencies.

Further down we go through the practical side: money coming in from abroad, paying someone in another country and how to verify a SWIFT code before you confirm a payment. The SWIFT code on its own does not identify a personal account; that is what the account number or IBAN is for.

Why Societe Generale S.A. has an 8- and an 11-character code

A SWIFT code is made up of a few fixed parts: characters one to four identify the bank, the next two show the country and characters seven and eight indicate the location. In this case, the 8-character core is SOGEITMM.

The long version adds a three-character extension that identify a branch or department. When those three characters are XXX, they simply mean the head office, so SOGEITMMXXX and SOGEITMM are interchangeable.

Do not add spaces or dashes when you enter SOGEITMM. Look out for O versus 0 or I versus 1, a common source of typos.

Before you send: check the Societe Generale S.A. code

The most reliable source for a SWIFT code is the recipient’s own bank details: an invoice, a bank statement or their online banking. Compare that code with SOGEITMM on this page; if they differ, ask before you pay.

With a wrong code, the transfer might get stuck, bounce back or end up costing more. Remember the IBAN: a mistake there is harder to correct than a wrong code.

Many banking apps validate the structure of an IBAN and some suggest the matching BIC. More and more banks compare the name against the account. For a first payment, many people send a small amount first.

Sending money abroad from Societe Generale S.A.

The price of an international transfer has several parts. There is the transfer fee, possibly fees charged by intermediary banks along the way and, most importantly, the exchange rate markup when the money is converted.

Banks rarely list their exchange rate markup as a cost – you only notice it if you compare. Compare the rate you are offered against the mid-market rate – the rate you find on financial news sites; the gap is what conversion costs you.

Specialist money transfer services often use a rate near the mid-market rate. GoldexPay compares transfer providers side by side, showing what actually arrives before you commit. You can still use your account at Societe Generale S.A., while a cheaper service handles the conversion.

Incoming international payments to Societe Generale S.A.

When you expect money from abroad, send the payer everything they need in one go. Give them the account holder’s name, your account number or IBAN, SWIFT code SOGEITMMXXX and your address.

It helps to add Societe Generale S.A. and Milano too. A typo in your account number can be harder to fix than it looks.

What lands in your account is often lower than the amount sent. Intermediary banks may deduct a fee and your own bank may charge for processing, and when currencies differ, an exchange rate margin applies. Agree with the sender who covers the fees.

Do you need SOGEITMM for a SEPA transfer?

Italy is a member of the SEPA area, the zone for standardised euro payments. When you send euros from another SEPA country, you normally only need the IBAN and the BIC is often filled in automatically.

The BIC still matter when the currency is not euros. If a payment form has a field for the BIC anyway, adding SOGEITMM does no harm.

Instant payments in euros are widely available across SEPA; check with Societe Generale S.A. whether it applies to your account. Charges on SEPA payments are generally low.

Protect yourself against fake payment requests

Be wary if someone suddenly wants you to pay into a different account abroad. That SOGEITMM is a real code does not mean that the account is legitimate – fraudsters use real bank codes as well.

Always verify changed bank details by phone. Urgency or requests to keep it quiet tend to be warning signs; a genuine business can wait for you to check. When money was sent to a fraudster, call your bank right away: the sooner they act, the better the chance of a recall.

Fraud can also target the receiver. Someone claims to have sent too much and asks you to return the difference to a new account. A screenshot of a transfer is no proof.

Paying into Societe Generale S.A. in EUR

The currency in Italy is the Euro (EUR). If you send another currency gets converted somewhere along the way: by your bank, an intermediary or Societe Generale S.A. itself. Every conversion eats into the amount – usually through the rate rather than a fee.

Who does the conversion has an effect on the final amount, since every bank sets its own rate. In many cases it is cheaper if you send EUR straight away through a provider that converts near the mid-market rate rather than letting the receiving bank convert.

Exchange rates change during the day. For regular payments, small differences in the rate make a real difference over a year.

Tracking a transfer to or from Societe Generale S.A.

There is no fixed delivery time for every transfer: some land within a day, others take several business days. Bank holidays in the sending or receiving country add extra days, since banks do not process on those days. Occasionally a bank wants to know what the payment is for before releasing it.

Many banks use SWIFT gpi. Each gpi transfer gets a unique reference, the UETR that banks can use to trace it. Money transfer services usually provide tracking in their app so you can see how far the money has got.

Only the sending bank can start an official trace – the recipient’s bank often cannot see a payment that has not arrived. On the receiving end, you can look at your account to see a partial amount because fees can reduce the amount.

Where our SWIFT data comes from

The directory on GoldexPay is compiled from publicly available sources and is updated regularly. Banks merge, close branches and retire codes. Figures such as the number of codes come from our directory and may differ from what Societe Generale S.A. publishes.

For a payment that matters, confirm the BIC with the recipient’s bank or with the recipient. We are a comparison service and not part of Societe Generale S.A.. If you notice something that is out of date, we appreciate a message via the contact page.

Societe Generale S.A.: head office code versus branch codes

Our database contains 2 SWIFT/BIC codes for Societe Generale S.A.. Next to the head office code SOGEITMMXXX, you will find codes for regional offices and specialised units.

If nobody asks you for a branch code, use SOGEITMMXXX or its short form SOGEITMM. A branch code only makes sense when the recipient’s bank specifically mentions it.

If you are not sure, ask the person you are paying which code their bank gave them. Branch codes are more prone to be retired than the head office code when a bank merges or closes offices.