SWIFT/BIC codes in Qatar

Qatar: banks and their SWIFT/BIC codes

Our directory contains 56 banks and financial institutions in Qatar. You need such a code mostly for international transfers.

Every bank is listed with its own page with the head office code and, where available, codes for branches and departments. Below the list you can read how a code from Qatar is put together, how to send money there at a fair price and how to check a code before you pay.

Tracking a payment to Qatar

There is no fixed answer for payments to Qatar: many arrive the same day or the next, others take several business days. Public holidays in Qatar or in the sending country can add extra days to the journey.

Many banks use SWIFT gpi for faster and traceable payments. Each payment carries a unique transaction reference, the UETR. Save the payment confirmation.

Why a transfer to Qatar needs a SWIFT code

For Qatar you will usually need the BIC – Qatar is not a SEPA country. Without it, most banks will not send the payment.

Not all countries use the IBAN – where there is none, the local account number is enough. The receiving bank usually has a list of required details for incoming international payments – follow them exactly. International transfers sometimes go via correspondent banks and fees can be taken along the way.

Which bank in Qatar has the most codes?

In our directory, Arab Bank PLC holds the most SWIFT/BIC codes in Qatar. The head office of Arab Bank PLC uses ARABQAQAXXX and that code covers most payments.

Banks differ in how many codes they register, so the count is not a ranking of size. Paying someone at Arab Bank PLC? Go with ARABQAQAXXX unless a specific branch code is requested.

Getting paid from abroad into an account in Qatar

For a transfer from abroad in Qatar, the person paying you has to have not just the SWIFT code. Give them your name as registered with the bank, the IBAN or account number, your bank’s SWIFT code and your address, which some banks require.

The code of your bank is in the list on this page. Certain banks also ask for the name and address of your bank, so keep it at hand.

Expect that the amount credited is below what the sender paid. Correspondent banks can take a fee and your own bank may charge for processing, and when currencies differ, a markup on the rate comes on top. On invoices, agree how the fees are split.

Recognising a SWIFT code from Qatar

Each SWIFT/BIC code has eight or eleven characters in a fixed order. First comes four letters for the bank, then two letters for the country and a two-character location code.

Whatever the bank, every code from Qatar have the same fifth and sixth letters. Codes with a different country code come from another country – a quick way to catch mistakes.

When a code ends in XXX, it refers to the head office, and the 8-character version leads to the same place. Choose a branch code only when the recipient’s bank asks for it – otherwise stick with the head office.

Sending money to Qatar for less

The price of a transfer to Qatar is made up of several parts, and the fee on your screen is only one of them. Besides the fee, correspondent banks may deduct a charge, and when the money is converted the bank usually applies a rate below the actual market rate.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate. Check the rate you are offered with the mid-market rate.

For many routes, a specialist provider is less expensive than a traditional bank transfer. On GoldexPay we compare the amount that arrives in Qatar with different services.

Verifying a SWIFT code from Qatar

Ask the recipient to send you the account details straight from a recent statement. If the code you have differs from the code listed here, stop and ask: check with the recipient or the bank.

Our SWIFT/BIC directory is compiled from publicly available sources that we update periodically. Even so, banks merge or change codes. For a payment that matters, check the BIC with the recipient. We are a comparison service for money transfers and not part of any bank listed here.

Scammers regularly use payment requests carrying changed bank details that look completely genuine. A valid BIC tells you nothing about whether a request is genuine.