SWIFT/BIC codes in Spain: banks starting with U

Finding a SWIFT code in Spain

Our directory covers 581 banks and other institutions in Spain. A BIC shows every bank in the chain exactly which bank is meant to get an international payment.

Look for the recipient’s bank in the list and click through to see all codes we have and what else a transfer requires. The sections below covers how the codes work, the cost of transfers and the checks worth doing.

Spain and the Euro

Spain pays in the Euro, with the currency code EUR. A payment in a foreign currency is exchanged into EUR on its way to the recipient, and whoever converts it chooses the rate.

Where the conversion happens affects how much arrives. In many cases you pay less to send EUR straight away through a transfer service with a good rate. With bigger transfers, even a small gap in the rate can be worth more than the fee.

What the letters in a Spain BIC mean

A SWIFT code is 8 or 11 characters long. Characters one to four stand for the bank, the fifth and sixth characters form the country code and the next two give the location.

Whatever the bank, every code from Spain share the same country code in positions five and six: the ISO code of the country. Codes with other letters in that position belong to another country.

When a code ends in XXX, it means the head office, and the 8-character version leads to the same place. Choose a branch code only if the recipient’s bank asks for it; otherwise the head office code is the safe choice.

Banks in Spain beginning with the letter :letter

This list shows only banks in Spain beginning with :letter, sorted alphabetically. The counts in the introduction still refer to all banks in Spain, not just this letter.

Cannot find the bank? The registered name may start with a different letter. Use the full list for Spain if you are not sure the exact name.

Receiving money in Spain from abroad

To receive a transfer from abroad in Spain, the sender needs not just the BIC. In practice that means: your full name as your bank knows it, your account number or IBAN, the SWIFT/BIC code of your bank and sometimes your postal address.

Find your bank in the list on this page and compare the code with your own bank details. Certain sending banks may also ask for the name and address of your bank; it does no harm to include it.

Expect that the incoming amount is below the amount on the sender’s receipt. Charges on incoming payments differ from bank to bank; check the price list of your bank. On invoices, state how the fees are split.

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 their online banking. When the code you were given differs from our list, do not guess.

We gather bank codes using public sources and update them from time to time. Still, banks merge or retire codes. For any payment of any size, confirm the code with the recipient’s bank. GoldexPay is not a bank and has no link to the banks in this list.

Scammers regularly use payment requests carrying new bank details that look completely genuine. A valid BIC tells you nothing about who owns the account.

Transfer times to Spain

How fast money arrives in Spain depends on a few things: the currency, the number of banks in between, daily processing deadlines and differences in time zone. Payments made after the cut-off time or just before a weekend or public holiday often go out the next business day.

When a payment takes longer than expected, ask the sender to contact the sending bank; only the sending side can start an official trace. Specialist transfer services usually show tracking online.

SEPA transfers to Spain

Spain is a member of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA). For a regular euro transfer from another SEPA country, the IBAN is usually enough; many banks no longer ask for the BIC.

You will still need the BIC when sending payments in other currencies or money from outside the SEPA area. Instant euro transfers have become widely available across SEPA. Provided no conversion is involved, a SEPA transfer is usually inexpensive.

Most SWIFT codes in Spain: BNP Paribas Securities Services, Spain

Of the 581 banks in Spain, BNP Paribas Securities Services, Spain has the largest number of codes. The head office uses PARBESMHXXX.

How many codes a bank has tells you something about how it registers branches and services than about its size. Making a payment to BNP Paribas Securities Services, Spain? Use PARBESMHXXX except when a specific branch code is requested.

Sending money to Spain for less

An international bank payment to Spain can cost more than the fee suggests. Besides the fee, correspondent banks may deduct a charge and, if currencies are converted, the bank usually applies a less favourable rate than the real market rate.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, not in the fee. A simple test: put the offered rate against the mid-market rate and look at the difference.

Money transfer services often use rates closer to the mid-market rate. Before your next transfer to Spain, take a minute comparing the total cost on GoldexPay instead of going straight to your bank.