SWIFT/BIC codes in Spain: banks starting with J

Bank SWIFT codes for Spain

This directory lists 581 banks and financial institutions in Spain and 933 SWIFT/BIC codes between them. Every code points to a bank or a specific branch or department and tells other banks where an international payment should go.

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

Getting paid from abroad into an account in Spain

A sender in another country will ask for several details about your account – incomplete details often cause delays. Give them your name as registered with the bank, your account number or IBAN, the BIC of your bank and your address.

Look up your bank in the list above to check its code – your bank statement is the final word. You can include the name and city of your bank as well, since some payment forms ask for it.

Do not be surprised if the amount credited is below the amount on the sender’s receipt. Fees for incoming transfers vary per bank – your bank’s price list tells you what applies. For business payments, agree how the fees are split to avoid a shortfall.

Sending money to Spain for less

When you transfer money to Spain through your bank, the fee you see is rarely all of the cost. On top of a fixed fee, intermediary banks may take a cut and, if currencies are converted, the bank usually applies a rate below the real market rate.

The markup on the rate tends to be the biggest part of the cost, even though it is not listed as a fee. Check the bank’s rate with the mid-market rate, the midpoint you see on financial news sites.

Specialist money transfer services frequently offer a rate near the mid-market rate with clearer fees. GoldexPay lists transfer services next to each other, showing the amount that reaches the recipient for the same amount sent.

About our data and how to check a code

Ask the recipient to send you the account details directly from a recent statement. When the code you were given does not match the code listed here, do not guess.

We gather bank codes using publicly available data and check them from time to time. Still, banks merge, rename themselves or retire codes, so information can be out of date. Treat our data as a starting point; the recipient’s bank details are leading. GoldexPay is an independent comparison site.

Fraudsters regularly use payment requests with new bank details that look completely genuine. Before paying, confirm changed details by phone on a number you know.

Banks in Spain beginning with the letter :letter

You are looking at a filtered list: only institutions in Spain whose name begins with :letter. The counts in the introduction still cover all banks in Spain, not just this letter.

Some banks are listed under their official name rather than the name on their app or website, so the letter can differ from what you expect. The complete list remains one click away when you cannot find the bank here.

How SWIFT codes from Spain are built

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

You can spot a code from Spain from letters five and six – those always form the country code of Spain. Codes with a different country code come from another country, even if the bank name looks familiar.

The optional last three characters stand for a specific branch; XXX means the head office. In most cases the head office code is fine unless the recipient asks for a specific branch.

The largest SWIFT network in Spain: BNP Paribas Securities Services, Spain

BNP Paribas Securities Services, Spain tops the list for Spain in SWIFT/BIC codes. Its main office uses PARBESMHXXX and that code covers most payments.

How many codes a bank has says more about how it organises its payments than about how big it is. If not the recipient asks for a branch, the head office code PARBESMHXXX works for transfers to this bank.

SEPA transfers to Spain

Spain belongs to the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), where euro transfers follow common rules. For a standard euro transfer from another SEPA country, you normally only need the IBAN and the BIC is often filled in automatically.

A SWIFT code does matter when the currency is not euros. Instant euro transfers have become widely available within SEPA, though not every bank offers them for every account. Costs stay low provided no currency is converted.

The Euro (EUR) and conversion costs

Spain uses the Euro. A payment in a foreign currency will be exchanged into EUR – and the bank that does it picks the rate.

Which bank converts the payment matters. Often it is cheaper if you send EUR directly through a transfer service with a good rate rather than letting the receiving bank convert. On larger amounts, even a small gap in the rate can be worth more than the fee.

How long does a transfer to Spain take?

There is no fixed answer for payments to Spain: many land the same day or the next while others need several business days. Payments made late in the day or on a weekend or public holiday often start the next business day.

Many banks use SWIFT gpi for faster and traceable payments. Every gpi transfer gets a unique transaction reference, the UETR that banks can use to see where the money is. Money transfer services usually provide tracking in their app, which makes it easier to see where the money is.