Bank of China SWIFT/BIC code

What BKCHJPJT means for a payment to Bank of China

Whether a recipient gives you BKCHJPJT or BKCHJPJTXXX, it is the identical identifier for Bank of China in Japan. A SWIFT code tells every bank in the chain exactly which bank should receive the money, a bit like a postal address for banks. In practice you usually come across it on invoices from abroad, in your banking app and in the bank details of Bank of China customers.

On this page we explain how the code means, when you need it and what else a transfer to or from Bank of China requires. The SWIFT code on its own cannot identify a personal account; that is what the IBAN or account number .

What to give a sender who pays you at Bank of China

To receive a transfer from abroad into your account at Bank of China, the sender has to have not just the SWIFT code. Share your name as the bank knows it, the IBAN or account number, the BIC BKCHJPJTXXX and your address.

Some banks also ask for the bank’s address in Tokyo, so keep it at hand. A mistake in your account number can be harder to fix than you might think; copy them from your banking app rather than typing.

The amount you receive is often less than what was sent. Intermediary banks may deduct a fee, Bank of China may charge for incoming payments, and if the currency changes, an exchange rate margin applies. Agree with the sender who covers the fees.

How to check BKCHJPJT before you pay

The most reliable source for the BIC is the recipient’s own bank details. Compare it with BKCHJPJT here.

Mistakes in the BIC tend to be costly more than disastrous – usually the money comes back, minus fees and time lost. A mistake in the IBAN or account number is more serious, because the money may be credited to someone else.

Most online banking apps check the format of IBANs and some suggest the matching BIC – that confirms the format, not the owner. If your bank offers it, a payee name check before sending gives extra certainty. When you pay someone new, many people send a small test amount before sending the rest.

8 or 11 characters: BKCHJPJT versus BKCHJPJTXXX

The structure of every SWIFT code never changes: four characters for the institution, two for the country and two for the location, sometimes followed by a branch code. For Bank of China, the 8-character core is BKCHJPJT.

The 11-character version adds three more characters that identify a branch or department. If the last three are XXX, they simply mean the head office.

Enter the code as one block, in capitals and without spaces, exactly as shown here. A single letter can send a payment to a different institution, so copy it carefully.

Paying someone abroad from your Bank of China account

When you transfer money abroad via Bank of China, the visible fee is rarely all of what you pay. You pay the transfer fee, possibly charges from correspondent banks in between and, above all, the margin on the exchange rate if the currency changes.

Banks do not list their exchange rate markup as a cost – you only notice it if you compare. Check their rate against the mid-market rate, the midpoint between buy and sell rates you see on financial sites.

Specialist money transfer services frequently use rates closer to the mid-market rate with clearer fees. Before your next transfer, take a minute comparing the total cost on GoldexPay rather than accepting the bank’s rate by default. You can always use your account at Bank of China as the source of the money, while a cheaper service handles the conversion.

About this information

The codes on this page are taken from public sources which we refresh regularly. It is possible that information on this page is no longer current. Counts and locations come from our own dataset and may differ from what Bank of China publishes.

For a payment that matters, always check the BIC with Bank of China or the recipient. GoldexPay is independent of Bank of China, we only compare transfer services. If you notice a mistake, we welcome a message.

The Japanese Yen and what conversion costs you

Accounts at Bank of China are usually held in JPY, the local currency. A payment in a foreign currency is exchanged into JPY on its way to Bank of China, and whoever converts it chooses the rate. Each conversion eats into something – 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. Compare how much JPY the recipient gets with different providers before choosing one.

The rate for JPY changes constantly, so the amount you see is usually only valid for a short time. For recurring payments, small differences in the rate add up over time.

Changed bank details? Be careful

A common scam goes like this: an email arrives with a message saying that a contact now has a new bank account and asking you to pay there from now on. A valid SWIFT code says nothing about who owns the account: scammers use real codes of real banks.

Check changed payment details via a different channel, such as a phone number you already know, not by replying to the message. Urgency or secrecy are red flags; a genuine business can wait for you to check. If a payment was sent to a fraudster, contact your bank immediately – speed improves the chance of getting it back.

Recipients are targeted too: a classic trick is a buyer who pays too much followed by a request to refund the difference. A screenshot of a transfer proves nothing – check your own account.

Choosing between the 6 SWIFT codes of Bank of China

With 6 codes in 5 cities, Bank of China is one of the banks that use individual codes for parts of the organisation. The head office code remains BKCHJPJTXXX.

For the vast majority of payments to a private or business account, the head office code BKCHJPJTXXX is what you need. Just use a branch code when your contact explicitly asks for it, for example on a letter or invoice.

When in doubt, ask the person you are paying for the exact BIC in their bank details. Branch codes can change when banks reorganise, so a code from an old document is not always valid.

Transfer times and tracking a payment to Bank of China

How quickly a transfer arrives at Bank of China is determined by several factors: which currency you send, the number of banks in between, daily processing deadlines and differences in time zone. Transfers sent late in the day or on a weekend or public holiday often start the next business day. Compliance checks by one of the banks can also add some delay.

If a transfer is delayed, contact your bank about the tracking status and the transaction reference. Money transfer services usually show a status in their app so you can see where the payment is.

The bank that sent the money can start an official trace or a recall – the recipient’s bank often cannot see a payment that has not arrived. Request from the sender the payment receipt including the reference – it helps your own bank look for the money.