SWIFT/BIC codes in Suriname

Finding a SWIFT code in Suriname

Here you will find codes for 12 banks in Suriname. A SWIFT code shows the banks handling a transfer which institution should receive the money.

Every bank is listed with its own page showing its main code and if there are any, codes for branches and departments. The rest of this page covers how the codes work, what transfers cost and how to avoid mistakes before a payment.

Paying a bank in Suriname from abroad

Suriname is outside the SEPA area, the European zone for uniform euro payments. Payments from abroad usually travel over the SWIFT network, and the BIC of the receiving bank is required.

In some countries, accounts are identified by a domestic account number instead of an IBAN and sometimes a local routing or branch code. Ask the recipient which details their bank requires for incoming international payments; banks often publish instructions for this. On the way to Suriname, a payment may pass through correspondent banks that charge for their part.

How long does a transfer to Suriname take?

There is no single answer for payments to Suriname: many arrive within a day. Transfers sent late in the day or on a weekend or public holiday usually go out the next business day.

Many banks use SWIFT gpi for faster and traceable payments. Each payment carries a unique transaction reference, the UETR, which the sending bank can use to trace it. Keep the payment confirmation until the recipient confirms – you will need it if something goes wrong.

Bank or transfer service for Suriname?

What you pay for a payment to Suriname is made up of more than one component, and the fee on your screen is only one of them. On top of a fixed fee, correspondent banks can take a cut, and when the money is converted the bank usually uses a rate below the actual market rate.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, not in the fee – the bank builds a margin into its rate. Compare the rate you are offered with the mid-market rate. The difference is your real cost.

Specialised transfer providers often offer a rate near the mid-market rate with clearer fees. Before you send money to Suriname, take a minute to compare what arrives via GoldexPay.

How SWIFT codes from Suriname are built

Each SWIFT/BIC code has eight or eleven characters in a fixed order. It starts with four letters for the bank, then two letters for the country and two characters for the location.

You can spot a bank code from Suriname from the fifth and sixth characters. If those two letters point to another country, the code belongs to a bank somewhere else.

If the last three are XXX, it refers to the head office and the short version works just as well. Choose a branch code only when the recipient explicitly gives you one.

The largest SWIFT network in Suriname: Centrale Bank van Suriname

In our data, Centrale Bank van Suriname holds the most SWIFT/BIC codes of all banks in Suriname. Its main office uses CBVSSRPAXXX; that is usually the right code for a transfer.

The number of codes tells you more about how it organises its payments than about how big it is. Making a payment to Centrale Bank van Suriname? Go with CBVSSRPAXXX except when the recipient gives you a branch code.

Incoming international payments in Suriname

For a transfer from abroad into a Suriname account, the person paying you needs not just the SWIFT code. Give them the account holder’s name, the IBAN or account number, your bank’s SWIFT code and your address.

Find your bank in the list above to check its code, but take the code from your own bank details when in doubt. Some banks may also want your bank’s address.

Expect that the amount credited is below the amount on the sender’s receipt. Charges on incoming payments vary per bank. Make clear with the sender who pays which costs.

Check the code before you pay

Have the recipient send you the account details directly from a recent statement. An incorrect BIC may lead to delays, a returned payment or extra fees – compare it with the code in our list.

The directory on GoldexPay is based on public sources. Institutions reorganise, change names and change codes. Before any payment of any size, check the BIC with the recipient. GoldexPay is an independent comparison site.

Watch out for invoices with a new account – a common fraud method. Before paying, verify a change of bank details by phone, using a number you already had.