SWIFT/BIC codes in Liberia

Bank SWIFT codes for Liberia

On this page you find the SWIFT/BIC codes of 16 banks in Liberia – 17 codes altogether. You will need a SWIFT/BIC code mainly when making payments across borders and for payments in a foreign currency.

Look for the recipient’s bank in the list and click through to see the full list of codes and the details a transfer needs. The rest of this page covers how the codes work, the cost of transfers and how to avoid mistakes.

Central Bank of Liberia and its SWIFT codes

Central Bank of Liberia tops the list for Liberia when it comes to the number of SWIFT/BIC codes. The head office uses CBLRLRLAXXX.

Practice differs in how many codes they register – a high count is not a measure of size. Unless the recipient asks for a branch, CBLRLRLAXXX is fine for transfers to this bank.

How reliable is this list?

The best place to find the right code remains paperwork issued by the bank, such as a statement or the account page in online banking. A wrong code may lead to delays, a payment being sent back or extra fees, so compare it with the list on this page.

The directory on GoldexPay is compiled from public sources and is updated regularly. Institutions reorganise, change names and retire codes, and no directory catches every change immediately. For any payment of any size, confirm the BIC with the recipient’s bank. We are an independent comparison site for money transfers, not a bank.

Fraudsters often use payment requests with new bank details from what looks like a familiar address. A real SWIFT code tells you nothing about whether a request is genuine.

How SWIFT codes from Liberia are built

SWIFT/BIC codes use one international format: eight characters. The first four letters identify the bank, characters five and six are the country code and characters seven and eight give the location.

You can spot a code from Liberia by letters five and six: they always show the ISO country code of Liberia. If the country letters point to another country, the code belongs to a bank in another country, so check again.

An 11-character code adds three characters for a branch. In most cases the head office code is fine.

The cheapest way to send money to Liberia

The price of a payment to Liberia is made up of several parts. Besides a fixed fee, correspondent banks can take a cut, and when the money is converted the bank often applies a less favourable rate than the real market rate.

The markup on the rate tends to be the biggest cost item. Compare the bank’s rate against the mid-market rate. The difference is your real cost.

For many routes, a specialist provider is cheaper than a bank – mostly thanks to the exchange rate. GoldexPay compares what recipients in Liberia receive with different services.

Incoming international payments in Liberia

For a transfer from abroad into a Liberia account, the sender has to have more than the BIC. Share your name as registered with the bank, your account number or IBAN, your bank’s SWIFT code and your address.

Look up your bank in the list above and compare the code with your own bank details – your bank statement is the final word. You can include your bank’s name and city as well because some forms have separate fields for it.

Expect that the incoming amount is below what the sender paid. Intermediary banks may deduct a fee, and when currencies differ, an exchange rate margin comes on top. Make clear with the sender who covers the fees, especially for larger amounts.

Why a transfer to Liberia needs a SWIFT code

Liberia is not part of the SEPA area, the European zone for uniform euro payments. Payments from abroad normally travel over the SWIFT network.

In some countries, accounts are identified by a domestic account number rather than an IBAN. The recipient’s bank usually has instructions for incoming international payments. On the way to Liberia, a payment may pass through correspondent banks that take a fee.

When does money sent to Liberia arrive?

How fast money arrives in Liberia depends on several factors: the currency, how many intermediary banks are involved, cut-off times and time zones. Public holidays in Liberia or in the sending country can add a day or more.

If the money seems delayed, the sender should contact their own bank and ask for the status or the UETR; only the sending side can start an official trace. Save the payment confirmation until the recipient confirms.