Novo Banco, SA SWIFT/BIC code

What BESCPTPL means for a payment to Novo Banco, SA

BESCPTPL and BESCPTPLXXX are two spellings of the same bank identifier, and both point to Novo Banco, SA in Lisbon. A SWIFT code tells every bank in the chain which institution is meant to get the money, a bit like a postal address for banks. In daily life you mostly come across it on international invoices, in your banking app and on the account details that Novo Banco, SA provides.

We wrote this page to help anyone who pays into an account at Novo Banco, SA. Remember that the SWIFT code just identifies the bank, not the person: the account number or IBAN does that part.

Tracking a transfer to or from Novo Banco, SA

There is no single answer for every transfer: many arrive within a day, others take several business days. Weekends and public holidays in either country add a day or more to the journey. Sometimes a bank asks what the payment is for, which can hold things up.

Many banks are connected to SWIFT gpi. Each gpi transfer gets a unique transaction reference, the UETR. Specialist transfer services often provide tracking online showing how far the money is.

A missing payment is investigated from the sending side, using the payment confirmation. Request from the sender a copy of the payment confirmation with the date and reference – it helps your own bank look for the money.

Receiving money from abroad at Novo Banco, SA

When you are waiting for a payment from another country, send the payer all details at once. What they need is: the account holder’s name, account number or IBAN, BESCPTPLXXX and, for some countries, your postal address.

It helps to add the bank name and its city as well, since some forms ask for it. A mistake in your account number can be harder to fix than you might think.

What lands in your account is often lower than what was sent. Charges on incoming payments differ from bank to bank; check the price list of Novo Banco, SA. Make clear with the sender who covers the fees.

Changed bank details? Be careful

One of the most common tricks works like this: an email arrives with a message claiming that a company now has new bank details and asking you to pay there from now on. That BESCPTPL is a real code does not mean that a request mentioning it is legitimate.

Check new bank details through a different channel, not by replying to the message. Be suspicious of time pressure, unusual wording or an email address that differs by one letter. Acted too fast? Contact the bank you paid from straight away and ask them to try to recall the payment; also report it to the police.

Fraud can also target the receiver: someone sends too much and asks you to return the extra. A screenshot of a transfer is no proof; only your own account shows what has arrived.

What a transfer from Novo Banco, SA abroad really costs

When you send money to another country via Novo Banco, SA, the fee you see is rarely all of the cost. On top of the transfer fee, banks in between can take a cut, and if currencies are converted the bank often applies a rate that is less favourable than the actual market rate.

Banks rarely show their exchange rate markup separately, but you pay it all the same. A simple test: set the rate you get against the mid-market rate for the same moment and look at the difference.

Specialist money transfer services frequently offer a rate near the mid-market rate. GoldexPay compares the amount that arrives across providers, which makes the cheapest option easy to spot. Choosing a specialist does not require closing your account at Novo Banco, SA – you pay the provider from your own account.

BESCPTPL or BESCPTPLXXX – which one to use?

Each SWIFT/BIC code starts with an 8-character core: four letters for the bank, a two-letter country code and a two-character location code. Combined, these eight characters form BESCPTPL, the code most people search for.

XXX at the end of BESCPTPLXXX is not a placeholder or an error: it stands for the main office of Novo Banco, SA. Certain payment forms ask for 11 characters, in which case you simply add XXX after BESCPTPL.

As a rule the code is written in capitals, without spaces or dashes. Pasting the code is safer than typing it by hand.

Paying into Novo Banco, SA in EUR

The currency of Portugal is the Euro (EUR). A payment in a foreign currency is converted into EUR before it reaches the account. You rarely see a separate line for the conversion; it is built into the rate.

Which bank converts the money matters. Often you pay less if you send EUR straight away through a provider that converts near the mid-market rate rather than letting the receiving bank convert.

Exchange rates move all the time, and some providers let you lock in a rate. On larger amounts, even small difference in the rate can be worth more than the fee.

Where our SWIFT data comes from

We collect bank codes from publicly available data and check them from time to time. Even so, banks merge, rename themselves or change codes. The number of codes on this page are based on what is in our directory and not on information from Novo Banco, SA itself.

For a payment that matters, check the BIC with Novo Banco, SA or the recipient. GoldexPay is a comparison site and not part of Novo Banco, SA. If you notice a mistake, we welcome a short note.

Verifying the SWIFT code of Novo Banco, SA

The most reliable place for the correct BIC remains paperwork issued by the bank like a bank statement or the account page in online banking. Check that code against BESCPTPL here.

Mistakes in the SWIFT code are annoying rather than fatal. Do not forget the account number: a mistake there is harder to undo than a wrong code.

A format check by your bank only tells you that the code exists. If your bank offers it, a name check before sending gives an extra layer of safety. A small test payment is a sensible step for a large first payment.

Choosing between the 3 SWIFT codes of Novo Banco, SA

With 3 codes in 3 cities, Novo Banco, SA belongs to the banks that use separate codes for parts of the organisation and departments. The main code is BESCPTPLXXX.

In most cases there is no need to pick a branch: payments sent to BESCPTPLXXX are routed within Novo Banco, SA correctly. If you have been given a branch code, use it as it is rather than replacing it with the head office code.

The safest approach is to take the code directly from the recipient’s bank details. Codes can change when banks reorganise.

Do you need BESCPTPL for a SEPA transfer?

Inside SEPA, euro payments to an account in Portugal use common rules, so the IBAN does the job in most cases. The BIC field is often optional in that case.

For anything other than euros and from non-SEPA countries, BESCPTPLXXX remains part of the payment details. A few banks and apps also ask for the BIC out of habit; if so, fill in BESCPTPL.

SEPA transfers usually arrive within one business day, and instant transfers in seconds where both banks support them. Charges on SEPA transfers are generally low, as long as no currency conversion is involved.