Norges Bank SWIFT/BIC code

What NBHKNOKK means for a payment to Norges Bank

NBHKNOKK and NBHKNOKKXXX are two ways of writing the same bank identifier, and both lead to Norges Bank in Oslo. Banks worldwide use these codes to direct international transfers to the correct institution. In daily life you usually see the code on invoices from abroad, in payment forms and in the bank details of Norges Bank customers.

Further down you will find the practical questions: money coming in from abroad, paying someone in another country and how to verify the code before you hit send. A SWIFT code names a bank or branch, never a specific account.

8 or 11 characters: NBHKNOKK versus NBHKNOKKXXX

A SWIFT code is made up of fixed blocks: the first four letters identify the bank, the next two give the country and characters seven and eight mark the location. The result is NBHKNOKK, the short form of the code.

Most banks and apps work with either length. If a form asks for eleven characters, enter NBHKNOKKXXX.

In practice the code is typed in capitals and without spaces. Copying the code is safer than retyping it, because one wrong letter changes the bank.

Scams that use SWIFT codes

One of the most common tricks goes like this: you receive a message claiming that a supplier now has new bank details and asking you to pay there from now on. The fact that NBHKNOKK exists is no guarantee that a request mentioning it is legitimate.

Verify new payment details via a different channel, such as a phone number you already know. Pressure and requests to keep it quiet are warning signs. When a payment was sent to the wrong account, contact your bank immediately.

People receiving money can be targeted as well: a classic trick is an overpayment followed by a request to send back the difference to another account. A payment confirmation from the sender proves nothing.

Paying Norges Bank in euros within SEPA

Within the SEPA zone, euro transfers to Norges Bank use the same rules, so the IBAN does the job in most cases. A field for the BIC is often optional for those payments.

Outside the euro and for senders outside SEPA, NBHKNOKKXXX remains required. If a payment form asks for the BIC regardless, adding NBHKNOKK does no harm.

Instant payments in euros have become widely available across SEPA; check with Norges Bank whether it applies to your account. Charges on SEPA transfers tend to be low.

Verifying the SWIFT code of Norges Bank

Have the recipient copy their account details straight from their banking app. Compare that code against NBHKNOKK on this page and ask if anything does not match.

Errors in the SWIFT code are annoying more than fatal – usually the money comes back, minus fees and time lost. A mistake in the IBAN or account number is more serious.

Many banking apps validate the format of an IBAN – that confirms the format, not the owner. Some banks now check the payee name against the account before you confirm – do not ignore a mismatch warning. For a first payment, some people start with a small test amount and wait for confirmation.

A note on our data

We gather SWIFT/BIC codes from publicly available data and check our list regularly. It is possible that a code here is no longer current after a merger or reorganisation. The figures we show are based on what is in our directory and not on information from Norges Bank itself.

Use our data as a starting point, rather than as the last word – the bank details from the recipient are leading. GoldexPay has no connection to Norges Bank; we are a comparison site for money transfers. Found an error? Tell us through the contact page and we will look into it.

Incoming international payments to Norges Bank

A sender in another country will ask for a few details about your account. In practice that means: your full name as registered with Norges Bank, your account number or IBAN, the BIC NBHKNOKKXXX and, often, your address.

Their bank may request the bank address of Norges Bank. Check every detail before you share them.

An incoming payment will not always land in full. Fees for incoming transfers vary from bank to bank; check the price list of Norges Bank. Make clear with the sender who covers the fees, especially for larger amounts.

Norges Bank: head office code versus branch codes

Norges Bank uses 15 separate SWIFT/BIC codes. Only one is the head office code, NBHKNOKKXXX; the others identify branches, and sometimes specific services.

Unless the recipient tells you otherwise, go with NBHKNOKKXXX or its short form NBHKNOKK. If you have been given a branch code, use it as it is instead of replacing it with the head office code.

Not sure which code applies? Ask the recipient or the bank itself. Codes for branches are more likely to change than the head office code when a bank merges or closes offices.

Transfer times and tracking a payment to Norges Bank

An international transfer typically takes one to a few business days. Payments made after the cut-off time or just before a weekend or public holiday often go out the next business day. Compliance checks by one of the banks can also add a delay, even when all details are correct.

If the money seems late, ask your bank about the tracking status or the UETR. Specialist transfer services often show a status in their app so you can see where the money has got.

The bank that sent the money can start an official trace – the recipient’s bank often cannot see a payment that has not arrived. As a recipient, it helps to check your statements for a partial amount.

Paying into Norges Bank in NOK

The national currency in Norway is the Norwegian Krone (NOK). Money sent in a different currency will be converted into NOK before it reaches the account, and whoever converts it chooses the rate. Each conversion costs the amount, even when no fee is shown.

Who does the conversion has an effect on the final amount. Transferring the amount already in NOK often avoids an extra conversion by Norges Bank.

The NOK rate fluctuates constantly and quotes are often valid only for a short time. With bigger transfers, even seemingly small gap in the rate can be worth more than the fee.

International transfers from Norges Bank: the real cost

An international bank payment costs rather more than the fee suggests. There is the fee for the transfer itself, possibly fees charged by intermediary banks in between and, most importantly, the margin on the exchange rate when the money is converted.

That exchange rate margin is often the biggest cost. An easy check: put the rate you get next to the mid-market rate for the same moment and look at the difference.

For a lot of routes, a transfer service turns out to be cheaper than a bank – mostly thanks to the rate. Next time you send money, take a minute to compare what arrives on GoldexPay. Choosing a specialist does not require leaving Norges Bank: you simply pay the service from your account.