SWIFT/BIC codes in South Africa

Finding a SWIFT code in South Africa

On this page you find codes for 281 institutions in South Africa, 471 codes in all. Every code identifies a bank or a specific branch or department.

Every bank is listed with its own page showing its main code and, where available, codes for branches and departments. The rest of this page covers how the codes work, the cost of transfers and how to avoid mistakes before you send money.

Paying a bank in South Africa from abroad

For South Africa you usually need a SWIFT/BIC code. Without the BIC, most banks will not send the payment.

Not every country uses the IBAN. Ask the recipient exactly which details their bank needs for payments from abroad – many banks give clear instructions for this. On the way to South Africa, a payment may go through correspondent banks that charge for their part.

Bank or transfer service for South Africa?

When you send money to South Africa via your bank, the stated fee is rarely all of what you pay. There is the transfer fee, possibly charges from intermediary banks along the way and, above all, the margin on the exchange rate.

The markup on the rate tends to be the biggest cost item. A simple test: set the rate you get next to the mid-market rate and look at the difference.

Money transfer services often offer rates closer to the mid-market rate and lower fees. On GoldexPay you can compare the amount that arrives in South Africa with different services, so you can pick the cheapest route.

How reliable is this list?

The most reliable source for a SWIFT code is the recipient’s own bank details – an invoice, a statement or a screenshot from online banking. If the code you have does not match the code listed here, stop and ask.

We collect bank codes using publicly available data and update our list regularly. Even so, banks merge, rename themselves or change codes. Before a payment of any size, confirm the code with the recipient. We are a comparison service for money transfers.

Watch out for payment requests with changed bank details, especially when they come by email. Before paying, confirm changed details through a separate channel on a number you know.

Most SWIFT codes in South Africa: Trustlink (Pty) LTD

In our directory, Trustlink (Pty) LTD has the most SWIFT/BIC codes of all banks in South Africa. Its head office code is LINKZAJJXXX – the code most transfers need.

Many codes often reflects that the bank registers branches and departments separately. If not the recipient asks for a branch, LINKZAJJXXX is fine for transfers to this bank.

Tracking a payment to South Africa

There is no single answer for payments to South Africa: some arrive the same day or the next, others take several business days. Public holidays in South Africa or in the sending country can add a day or more.

Many banks are connected to SWIFT gpi. Every gpi transfer gets a unique transaction reference, the UETR. Specialist transfer services usually provide tracking online.

Getting paid from abroad into an account in South Africa

When you are waiting for a payment from another country on an account in South Africa, give the sender a complete set of details. Give them your name as registered with the bank, your account number or IBAN, the BIC of your bank and your address, which some banks require.

Your bank’s code appears in the list on this page. It helps to include the name and city of your bank as well because some forms have separate fields for it.

The amount you receive is often less than the amount sent. Charges on incoming payments vary per bank; check the price list of your bank. Agree with the sender who covers the fees.

How SWIFT codes from South Africa are built

A BIC is 8 or 11 characters long and the parts always come in the same order. It starts with four letters for the bank, followed by a two-letter country code and a two-character location code.

You can spot a code from South Africa by letters five and six. Codes with a different country code belong to another country.

When a code ends in XXX, it means the head office. For most transfers the head office code is fine.

South Africa and the South African Rand

South Africa pays in the South African Rand, with the currency code ZAR. Money sent in a different currency will be exchanged into ZAR on its way to the recipient – and the bank that does it picks the rate.

Where the conversion happens affects the final amount, as rates and margins differ per bank. In many cases it is cheaper to send ZAR straight away through a provider with a good rate so the receiving bank does not need to convert again. Rates for ZAR change during the day – some providers let you lock in a rate.