SWIFT/BIC codes in Romania

Romania: banks and their SWIFT/BIC codes

In Romania we have 263 SWIFT/BIC codes from 136 financial institutions. Each code identifies an institution or one of its branches.

Look for the recipient’s bank below and click through for the full list of codes and what else a transfer requires. Further down you can read how codes from Romania are built, how to send money to Romania without overpaying and how to check a code before you pay.

Banca Transilvania S.A. and its SWIFT codes

Of the 136 banks in Romania, Banca Transilvania S.A. has the largest number of SWIFT codes. The head office uses BTRLRO22XXX – the code most transfers need.

A large number of codes usually reflects that the bank registers branches and departments separately. If not a branch code is given, BTRLRO22XXX is fine for a payment to Banca Transilvania S.A..

Tracking a payment to Romania

There is no fixed delivery time for transfers to Romania: some land within a day. Transfers sent late in the day or on weekends and holidays often go out the next business day.

A growing number of banks are connected to SWIFT gpi for faster and traceable payments. Each payment gets a unique transaction reference, the UETR that banks can use to see where the money is. Keep your transfer receipt until the recipient confirms – you will need it if something goes wrong.

The cheapest way to send money to Romania

When you send money to Romania with a regular bank, the stated fee is rarely all of the cost. There is a transfer fee, possibly charges from intermediary banks and, most importantly, the margin on the exchange rate if the money is converted.

That exchange rate margin tends to be the biggest cost item. Compare the bank’s rate against the mid-market rate, the midpoint you see on financial news sites; the gap is what conversion costs you.

For many currency pairs, a transfer service is cheaper than a bank, mainly because of the rate. Before you send money to Romania, take a minute to compare what arrives via GoldexPay.

What a sender needs to pay you in Romania

A sender in another country will ask for a few details about your account. Share the account holder’s name, your account number or IBAN, your bank’s SWIFT code and your address, which some banks require.

Your bank’s code appears in the list on this page. Some banks also ask for your bank’s address, so keep it at hand.

The amount you receive is often lower than what was sent. Charges on incoming payments vary per bank – your bank’s price list tells you what applies. For business payments, state how the fees are split to avoid a shortfall.

How reliable is this list?

The most reliable source for the BIC is the recipient’s own bank details: an invoice, a statement or their online banking. If the code you have does not match our list, stop and ask.

We collect bank codes using publicly available data and update our list from time to time. Even so, banks merge or retire codes, so information can be out of date. Use our data as a starting point, not as the final word; the recipient’s bank details are leading. GoldexPay is an independent comparison site.

Scammers regularly use fake invoices with new bank details that look completely genuine. Before paying, verify a change of bank details by phone on a number you know.

Euro payments to Romania: is a BIC needed?

Inside SEPA, euro transfers to Romania use the same rules and in most cases need only the IBAN. A field for the BIC is often optional for those payments.

You will still need the BIC for non-euro payments or money from outside the SEPA area. Euro payments within SEPA usually arrive within one business day or faster with instant payments. Fees are generally low as long as no currency is converted; the conversion is where it gets expensive.

How SWIFT codes from Romania are built

Every SWIFT/BIC code consists of 8 or 11 characters, always in the same order. Characters one to four identify the bank, characters five and six form the country code and characters seven and eight mark the location.

Whatever the bank, all Romania codes share the same fifth and sixth letters, namely the ISO code of Romania. Codes with a different country code come from another country, even if the bank name looks familiar.

The last three characters, if present, identify a specific branch; XXX means the head office. Choose a branch code just if the recipient explicitly gives you one.

The Romanian Leu (RON) and conversion costs

Most accounts in Romania are typically held in RON. When you pay money in a different currency, the amount has to be converted somewhere along the way.

Who does the conversion has an effect on how much arrives. Often it is cheaper to send RON directly through a provider that converts near the mid-market rate so the receiving bank does not need to convert again. With bigger transfers, a seemingly small difference in the rate can be worth more than the fee.