ABN Amro Bank N.V. SWIFT/BIC code

SWIFT/BIC code of ABN Amro Bank N.V.

ABNANL2A and ABNANL2AXXX are the short and the long form of the same bank identifier, and both lead to ABN Amro Bank N.V. in Amsterdam. Every bank on the SWIFT network uses BIC codes to route payments between countries to the correct institution. In daily life you mostly see the code on invoices from abroad, in payment forms and in the bank details of ABN Amro Bank N.V. customers.

On this page you can read what the code is put together, when it matters and what else you need for a transfer to or from ABN Amro Bank N.V.. The SWIFT code on its own cannot identify an individual account holder; that is what the account number or IBAN .

How long does an international transfer to ABN Amro Bank N.V. take?

How quickly a payment arrives at ABN Amro Bank N.V. depends on a few things: the currency, the number of banks in between, cut-off times and differences in time zone. Weekends and public holidays in either country add a day or more, since banks do not process on those days. Compliance checks by one of the banks may also add some delay.

A growing number of banks are connected to SWIFT gpi, which lets them follow a payment from bank to bank. Each gpi transfer carries a unique reference, the UETR. Save your transfer receipt until the money has arrived – you will need it for any trace request.

A missing payment is traced by the sending bank, using the payment confirmation. As a recipient, you can check your account for a partial amount because fees can reduce the amount.

The Euro and what conversion costs you

Netherlands pays in the Euro. When you pay another currency it gets converted at some point. Every conversion costs the amount – usually through the rate rather than a fee.

Who does the conversion has an effect on how much arrives, since every bank sets its own rate. In many cases it is cheaper if you send EUR directly through a transfer service that converts near the mid-market rate.

The rate for EUR changes throughout the day, so the amount you see is usually only valid for a short time. For regular payments, a slightly better rate add up over time.

Protect yourself against fake payment requests

Be wary if a contact suddenly wants you to pay into another account. A valid SWIFT code says nothing about who owns the account.

Always confirm changed bank details by phone on a number you know, not one from the message. Urgency and requests to keep it quiet are warning signs. Acted too fast? Contact the bank you paid from straight away and ask them to start a recall and report the fraud.

People receiving money can be targeted as well: one known trick is a buyer who pays too much and then sends a request to send back the difference. A payment confirmation from the sender proves nothing.

Choosing between the 12 SWIFT codes of ABN Amro Bank N.V.

ABN Amro Bank N.V. uses 12 separate SWIFT/BIC codes. One of them is the head office code, ABNANL2AXXX; the others identify branches or departments.

For the vast majority of payments to a private or business account, the head office code ABNANL2AXXX works fine. A branch code only makes sense when the recipient’s bank specifically mentions it, which is more common for corporate accounts and trade services.

Not sure which code applies? Check with the recipient, or look at a recent statement from ABN Amro Bank N.V.. Branch codes are more prone to be retired than the head office code.

Getting paid from abroad into a ABN Amro Bank N.V. account

If you expect money from abroad, send the payer all details at once. The basics are: the account holder’s name, IBAN or account number, ABNANL2AXXX and, for some countries, your postal address.

Some banks also ask for the bank’s address. Check every detail before you send them.

The amount you receive can be lower than the amount sent. Charges on incoming payments vary per bank; check the price list of ABN Amro Bank N.V.. On invoices, it is common to state how the fees are split to avoid a shortfall.

Sending money abroad from ABN Amro Bank N.V.

When you transfer money abroad via ABN Amro Bank N.V., the visible fee is only part of the cost. Besides the transfer fee, banks in between can take a cut, and if the money changes currency, the bank often applies a rate below the real market rate.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, rather than in the fee: many banks convert using an exchange rate that includes a margin. Check the rate you are offered with the mid-market rate – the rate you find on financial news sites. The difference is your real conversion cost.

For a lot of currency pairs, a transfer service turns out to be less expensive than a traditional bank transfer, mainly because of the exchange rate. GoldexPay lists these services next to each other so you can see what actually arrives before you commit. You can always use your account at ABN Amro Bank N.V. as the source of the money, while a cheaper service handles the conversion.

A note on our data

We gather bank codes from public sources and check them from time to time. Banks merge, close branches and retire codes, and a directory never catches every change immediately. Figures such as the number of codes are from our directory.

Use our data as a reference, not as the final word – the bank details from the recipient are leading. GoldexPay is independent of ABN Amro Bank N.V.; we are a comparison site for money transfers. If you notice something that is out of date, we welcome a short note via the contact page.

Is ABNANL2A still correct? How to check

The most reliable source for a SWIFT code is the recipient’s own bank details – an invoice, a statement or a screenshot from online banking. When the code you were given differs from ABNANL2A or ABNANL2AXXX, stop and ask – contact the recipient or ABN Amro Bank N.V..

If the code is wrong, the payment may get stuck, be returned or cost extra – sometimes after weeks of searching. Remember the IBAN: an error there can be more difficult to correct than a wrong code.

Many banking apps check the format of IBANs – that confirms the format, not the owner. Where available, a payee name check before sending gives an extra layer of safety. When you pay someone new, many people start with a small test amount.

8 or 11 characters: ABNANL2A versus ABNANL2AXXX

The layout of a BIC never changes: a bank code of four letters, two for the country and two for the location, sometimes followed by a branch code. That gives you ABNANL2A, the short form of the code.

XXX at the end of ABNANL2AXXX is not a placeholder or an error: it stands for the main office of ABN Amro Bank N.V.. Some forms ask for 11 characters, and then you can enter XXX after ABNANL2A.

As a rule the code is written in capitals and without spaces. Copying the code is safer than retyping it: a typo can point to another bank.

SEPA payments and the ABN Amro Bank N.V. BIC

Netherlands is part of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), the zone for uniform euro payments. When you send euros within SEPA, you normally only need the IBAN and the BIC is often filled in automatically.

The BIC still come into play for payments in other currencies. Some banks and apps still show a field for the BIC out of habit; if so, enter ABNANL2A.

Euro payments within SEPA normally land by the next business day. Fees for SEPA payments tend to be low, as long as no currency conversion is involved.