SWIFT/BIC codes in Spain: banks starting with L

Spain: banks and their SWIFT/BIC codes

Our directory contains 581 banks and financial institutions in Spain, with 933 SWIFT/BIC codes in total. Every code identifies a bank or a specific branch or department.

Each bank has its own page with its main code and if there are any, codes for branches and departments. The rest of this page covers how the codes work, the cost of transfers and the checks worth doing before a payment.

SEPA transfers to Spain

Since Spain is in SEPA, a euro transfer to a bank in Spain normally requires just an IBAN. Most banking apps do not require the BIC for these payments.

A SWIFT code still matter when the currency is not euros. Instant euro transfers are widely available across SEPA – check whether your bank supports them. As long as the payment stays in euros, the transfer tends to be inexpensive.

Check the code before you pay

Have the recipient send you their bank details directly from a recent statement. 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 Even so, banks merge or retire codes, so information can be out of date. Use our data as a reference: the bank details from the recipient come first. GoldexPay is an independent comparison service for money transfers and not part of any bank listed here.

Scammers often use payment requests with changed bank details. A real SWIFT code says nothing about whether a request is genuine.

SWIFT codes in Spain: banks under :letter

Here you see a selection: just banks in Spain with a name starting with :letter. The totals mentioned here cover all 581 banks and not only this letter.

If the bank you need does not appear here, check another letter. Use the full list for Spain when you are not sure the exact name.

What a transfer to Spain really costs

A bank transfer to Spain can cost more than the fee suggests. You pay the transfer fee, possibly charges from intermediary banks and, most importantly, the margin on the exchange rate if the money is converted.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate. Check the rate you are offered with the mid-market rate that you find on financial sites. The difference is your real cost.

For a lot of routes, a specialist provider is less expensive than a traditional bank transfer. Before your next transfer to Spain, take a minute to compare what arrives via GoldexPay.

Receiving money in Spain from abroad

To receive an international payment into a Spain account, the sender needs more than the SWIFT code. That means: your name as your bank knows it, your account number or IBAN, the BIC of your bank and sometimes your postal address.

The code of your bank is in our list. You can include the name and city of your bank as well.

Do not be surprised if the amount credited is smaller than what the sender paid. Intermediary banks may deduct a fee and your own bank may charge for processing, and when currencies differ, a markup on the rate applies. On invoices, agree who bears the costs to avoid a shortfall.

Transfer times to Spain

How fast money arrives in Spain is determined by a few things: the currency, the number of banks in between, cut-off times and time zones. Transfers sent late in the day or on a weekend or public holiday usually go out the next business day.

If a transfer seems delayed, ask the sender to contact their own bank for a trace – the receiving bank often cannot see a payment that has not arrived. Keep the payment confirmation – you will need it if something goes wrong.

Which bank in Spain has the most codes?

BNP Paribas Securities Services, Spain tops the list for Spain in SWIFT/BIC codes. The head office of BNP Paribas Securities Services, Spain has PARBESMHXXX.

Banks differ in whether they register branch codes, so the count is not a ranking of size. If not the recipient asks for a branch, PARBESMHXXX is fine for a payment to BNP Paribas Securities Services, Spain.

Paying in EUR: what conversion costs you

Spain uses the Euro, with the currency code EUR. A payment in a foreign currency will be converted into EUR before it reaches the account.

Who converts the payment makes a difference, because each party uses its own rate. In many cases you pay less to send EUR directly through a transfer service that converts near the mid-market rate rather than letting the receiving bank convert. Exchange rates move all the time, so a quote is usually valid only briefly.

Recognising a SWIFT code from Spain

Bank identifier codes follow one international format: 8 characters plus an optional three-character extension. The first four letters stand for the bank, the fifth and sixth characters are the country code and the next two give the location.

In every code from Spain, characters five and six are the ISO country code of Spain, which makes these codes easy to recognise. Codes with other letters in that position belong to a bank abroad.

When a code ends in XXX, it refers to the main office. Choose a branch code just if the recipient explicitly gives you one – otherwise stick with the head office.