ING Bank N.V. SWIFT/BIC code

What INGBNL2A means for a payment to ING Bank N.V.

The short code INGBNL2A and the 11-character code INGBNL2AXXX refer to one and the same institution: ING Bank N.V. in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The code has a single purpose: it makes sure that a cross-border transfer ends up at the right bank. In daily life you usually see it on invoices from abroad, in your banking app and in the bank details that ING Bank N.V. provides.

Below you will find the practical side: money coming in from abroad, sending money abroad and how to check the code before you hit send. The BIC names a bank or branch, never a specific account, which is why you always need the account number too.

Is INGBNL2A still correct? How to check

Have the recipient copy their account details directly from their online banking. When the code you were given differs from INGBNL2A or INGBNL2AXXX, stop and ask – contact the recipient or ING Bank N.V..

With a wrong code, the payment might be delayed, bounce back or end up costing more – sometimes after weeks of searching. Remember the IBAN: a mistake there can be more difficult to correct than a wrong BIC.

An automatic check in your banking app only confirms that the code exists. More and more banks compare the name against the account before you confirm. A small test payment is worth it for a large first payment despite the extra fee.

Sending money abroad from ING Bank N.V.

A bank transfer abroad costs rather more than the listed fee. There is the fee for the transfer itself, sometimes fees charged by intermediary banks in between and, above all, the exchange rate markup.

Many banks rarely list their exchange rate markup separately – you only notice it if you compare. Check the rate you are offered against the mid-market rate, the midpoint between buy and sell rates you see on financial sites; the gap is what conversion costs you.

For a lot of routes, a specialist provider is less expensive than a bank. GoldexPay lists these services next to each other, showing the amount the recipient gets for the same amount sent. Choosing a specialist does not require closing your account at ING Bank N.V..

About this information

We gather bank codes from publicly available data and check them from time to time. It can happen that a code here is out of date after a merger or reorganisation. The number of codes on this page reflect what is in our directory, not official figures from ING Bank N.V..

Before any payment of any size, confirm the BIC with the recipient’s bank or with the recipient. GoldexPay is a comparison service for money transfers and not part of ING Bank N.V.. If you notice a mistake, we appreciate a message.

Which of the 11 codes of ING Bank N.V. do you need?

We have 11 SWIFT/BIC codes for ING Bank N.V.. Next to the head office code INGBNL2AXXX, you will find codes for individual branches and departments.

In most cases you do not need to pick a branch: transfers addressed to INGBNL2AXXX are routed within ING Bank N.V. without problems. Only use a branch code when the account holder gives you that exact code, for example on a letter or invoice.

Unsure which code to use? Check with the recipient or the bank itself. Branch codes can change when banks reorganise, so do not rely on old paperwork.

INGBNL2A or INGBNL2AXXX – which one to use?

Every SWIFT/BIC code starts with the same eight core characters: four letters for the bank, two letters for the country and a two-character location code. That gives you INGBNL2A.

The 11-character version has three more characters that identify a branch or department. When those three characters are XXX, they simply mean the head office, which is why INGBNL2AXXX and INGBNL2A lead to the same place.

In practice the code is typed in capitals. A single character can send a payment to a different institution, so check it twice.

The Euro and what conversion costs you

The national currency of Netherlands is the Euro (EUR). When you pay another currency it has to be converted somewhere along the way. You rarely see a separate line for that conversion.

Who converts the payment matters, because each party uses its own rate. Check what EUR arrives with several providers; the difference between options can be larger than you expect.

The rate for EUR changes constantly. On larger amounts, a small gap in the rate can be worth more than the fee.

Receiving money from abroad at ING Bank N.V.

For an international payment into your account at ING Bank N.V., the sender needs not just the BIC. What they need is: your name, IBAN or account number, INGBNL2AXXX and often your home address.

You can add ING Bank N.V. and Amsterdam as well, since some forms ask for it. Double-check each detail before you share them – a sender rarely spots a mistake in someone else’s details.

Money from abroad will not always land for the full amount. Intermediary banks may deduct a fee and your own bank may charge for processing, and when currencies differ, a markup on the rate applies. Make clear with the sender who covers the fees before the money is sent.

Euro transfers to ING Bank N.V.: is a BIC needed?

Within the SEPA zone, euro transfers to an account in Netherlands follow common rules. The BIC field is often optional for those payments.

The BIC still matter for payments in other currencies and when the money comes from outside SEPA. If your banking app has a field for the BIC regardless, entering INGBNL2A does no harm.

Instant euro transfers have become widely supported within SEPA; check with ING Bank N.V. whether it applies to your account. Charges on SEPA transfers are generally low, as long as no currency conversion is involved.

Watch out for payment fraud

Criminals often send fake invoices with new bank details sent from what looks like a familiar address. A valid SWIFT code says nothing about whether the request is genuine.

Verify changed bank details via a different channel, such as a phone number you already know, never via the email that asked for the change. Pressure or secrecy are red flags – a real supplier can wait a day. Already paid? Contact your bank without delay and have them try to recall the payment and report the fraud.

People receiving money can be targeted as well: a classic trick is an overpayment and then sends a request to refund the difference. Wait until the money has really arrived – ask ING Bank N.V. if something looks wrong.

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

How fast a payment reaches ING Bank N.V. is determined by several factors: which currency you send, how many intermediary banks are involved, daily processing deadlines and time zones. Transfers sent late in the day or just before a weekend or public holiday usually start the next business day. Occasionally a bank wants to know what the payment is for, which can hold things up.

A growing number of banks are connected to SWIFT gpi. Every gpi transfer carries a unique transaction reference, the UETR that banks can use to trace it. Keep your transfer receipt until the money has arrived; it contains the details a bank needs to start a trace.

The bank that sent the money can request a trace or a recall – the recipient’s bank often cannot see a payment that has not arrived. As a recipient, it helps to check your statements to see a partial amount, since fees may have been deducted.