SWIFT/BIC codes in Namibia

Namibia: banks and their SWIFT/BIC codes

Here you will find codes for 18 institutions in Namibia – 22 codes altogether. You will need a SWIFT/BIC code mostly for international transfers, and especially for payments in foreign currencies.

Select a bank below to view its head office code and its other codes along with tips for payments to and from that bank. The rest of this page explain how the codes work, what transfers cost and the checks worth doing.

International payments to Namibia and the BIC

To pay into Namibia you will almost always need a SWIFT/BIC code, because the country is outside the SEPA area. Without it, your bank cannot send the transfer at all.

In some countries, the account is identified by a local account number rather than an IBAN and sometimes a local routing or branch code. Ask the recipient which details their bank requires for payments from abroad – many banks give clear instructions for this. Before it arrives, a transfer can go through correspondent banks.

Bank or transfer service for Namibia?

A bank transfer to Namibia can cost more than you think. You pay the transfer fee, possibly fees from correspondent banks and, most importantly, the exchange rate markup when currencies differ.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, not in the fee: banks convert at a rate with a margin built in. Check the rate you are offered with the mid-market rate. The difference is your real cost.

Specialised transfer providers often offer a rate near the mid-market rate with clearer fees. On GoldexPay we compare what recipients in Namibia receive with different services, so you can pick the cheapest route.

Receiving money in Namibia from abroad

A sender in another country will ask for several details from you. Share the account holder’s name, the IBAN or account number, the BIC of your bank and your address, which some banks require.

Look up your bank in the list on this page – your bank statement is the final word. You can add your bank’s name and city as well because some forms have separate fields for it.

What lands in your account can be lower than the amount sent. Correspondent banks can take a fee and your own bank may charge for processing, and when currencies differ, an exchange rate margin comes on top. Agree with the sender who pays which costs before the money is sent.

How reliable is this list?

Ask the recipient to send you their bank details directly from a recent statement. If the code you have does not match the code listed here, stop and ask: check with the recipient or the bank.

Our SWIFT/BIC directory is based on publicly available sources that we update periodically. Banks reorganise, change names and change codes. Use our data as a starting point, not as the final word. GoldexPay is not a bank.

Scammers regularly send fake invoices carrying changed bank details that look completely genuine. Before paying, verify a change of bank details by phone.

The structure of a Namibia SWIFT/BIC code

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

In every code from Namibia, letters five and six are the ISO country code of Namibia. If those two letters do not match Namibia, you are looking at a bank in another country.

When a code ends in XXX, it means the main office, and the 8-character version leads to the same place. For most transfers the head office code is what you need.

Bank of Namibia and its SWIFT codes

In our data, Bank of Namibia has the most SWIFT/BIC codes of all banks in Namibia. Its head office code is CBKNNANXXXX, which is the code to use when no branch is specified.

A large number of codes often reflects that the bank registers branches and departments separately, not necessarily that the bank is the biggest in the country. If not the recipient asks for a branch, CBKNNANXXXX is fine for a payment to Bank of Namibia.

Transfer times to Namibia

An international transfer to Namibia typically takes one to a few business days, depending on the currency, the route and the banks involved. Payments made late in the day or on a weekend or public holiday usually go out a business day later.

A growing number of banks use SWIFT gpi for faster and traceable payments. Each payment gets a unique transaction reference, the UETR, which the sending bank can use to trace it. Keep your transfer receipt until the money has arrived.