Danske Bank SWIFT/BIC code

What DABASESX means for a payment to Danske Bank

DABASESX and DABASESXXXX are the short and the long form of the same SWIFT/BIC code, and both lead to Danske Bank in Stockholm. The code does one job: it makes sure that an international payment reaches the right bank. In practice you mostly come across the code on invoices from abroad, in your banking app and on the account details of Danske Bank customers.

Below we go through the practical questions: receiving money at Danske Bank, paying someone in another country and how to check the code before you hit send. Remember that the BIC just identifies the bank, not the person: the IBAN or account number does that part.

Is DABASESX still correct? How to check

The most reliable place for the right code is a document from the bank itself. When the code you were given differs from DABASESX or DABASESXXXX, stop and ask: check with the recipient or with Danske Bank directly.

Mistakes in the SWIFT code tend to be costly more than disastrous. Do not forget the IBAN: an error there is more difficult to correct than a wrong code.

An automatic check in your banking app only confirms that the IBAN exists – not that it belongs to the person you mean to pay. More and more banks compare the name against the account; take any warning seriously. When you pay someone new, many people send a small amount first before sending the rest.

SEPA payments and the Danske Bank BIC

Inside SEPA, euro transfers to an account in Sweden use the same rules, so the IBAN does the job in most cases. A field for the BIC is often optional for those payments.

You still need DABASESXXXX when sending non-euro payments or money from outside the SEPA area. A few banks and apps also show a field for the BIC out of habit; if so, fill in DABASESX.

Euro payments within SEPA normally land by the next business day. Provided the payment stays in euros, a SEPA transfer tends to be cheap; costs rise once a conversion is involved.

Paying into Danske Bank in SEK

Sweden pays in the Swedish Krona (SEK). If you send money in a different currency it has to be converted somewhere along the way. There is rarely a separate charge for the conversion.

Who converts the payment matters, because each party uses its own rate. Compare how much SEK arrives with different providers.

Exchange rates change during the day, and some providers let you lock in a rate. For recurring payments, a slightly better rate make a real difference over a year.

Scams that use SWIFT codes

Fraudsters regularly use payment requests with new bank details sent from what looks like a familiar address. The fact that DABASESX exists is no guarantee that the account is legitimate.

Never rely on contact details in the same message that contains the change. Urgency or secrecy tend to be red flags; a genuine business can wait for you to check. If money has already gone to the wrong account, call your bank right away.

People receiving money are targeted too: a classic trick is an overpayment and then sends a request to send back the difference. Do not act before the money is actually in your account and check with Danske Bank if anything seems off.

Tracking a transfer to or from Danske Bank

How fast a payment reaches Danske Bank depends on a few things: which currency you send, how many intermediary banks are involved, daily processing deadlines and time zones. Transfers sent after the cut-off time or on weekends and holidays usually start the next business day. Occasionally a bank wants to know about the purpose of a payment, which can hold things up.

A growing number of banks use SWIFT gpi. Every payment gets a unique reference, the UETR. Keep your transfer receipt until the recipient confirms.

A missing payment has to be traced by the sending bank, using the payment confirmation. Request from the sender the payment receipt including the reference; that often settles the question quickly.

Incoming international payments to Danske Bank

If you expect money from abroad, give the sender all details at once. The basics are: the account holder’s name, IBAN or account number, DABASESXXXX or DABASESX and in many cases your home address.

Their bank may also ask for the bank address of Danske Bank, in which case the Stockholm head office is the usual answer. Double-check every detail before you send them, because the sender’s bank usually copies them as is.

What lands in your account can be less than what was sent. Intermediary banks may deduct a fee, Danske Bank may charge for incoming payments, and if the currency changes, an exchange rate margin applies. For business payments, it is common to state who bears the costs to avoid a shortfall.

8 or 11 characters: DABASESX versus DABASESXXXX

Every SWIFT/BIC code starts with an 8-character core: a four-letter bank code, two letters for the country and a two-character location code. In this case, the 8-character core is DABASESX.

XXX at the end of DABASESXXXX does not stand for a placeholder or an error: it indicates the main office of Danske Bank. Certain payment forms ask for 11 characters, in which case you can add XXX after DABASESX.

As a rule the code is typed in capitals. A single letter may route the money to a different institution.

How up to date is this code?

We gather SWIFT/BIC codes using public sources and update our list from time to time. Even so, banks merge or retire codes, so information can be out of date. Counts and locations are from our directory and are not confirmed by Danske Bank.

Use our data as a starting point, rather than as the final word. We are an independent comparison service for money transfers and not part of Danske Bank. If you notice something that is out of date, we appreciate a message via the contact page.

Danske Bank: head office code versus branch codes

Danske Bank has 5 different SWIFT/BIC codes across 2 cities. One of them is the head office code, DABASESXXXX; the rest identify branches, and sometimes internal departments.

Unless the recipient tells you otherwise, go with DABASESXXXX or its short form DABASESX. If you have been given a specific code, stick to it instead of swapping it for the head office code.

The safest approach is to copy the code directly from the account holder’s bank details. Codes can change when banks reorganise, so do not rely on old paperwork.

Sending money abroad from Danske Bank

If you send money abroad through Danske Bank, the visible fee is only part of what you pay. Besides a fixed fee, correspondent or intermediary banks can deduct a fee, and when currencies are converted the bank usually uses a rate that is less favourable than the actual market rate.

The real cost is often in the rate, rather than in the fee: many banks convert using an exchange rate with a margin built in. A simple test: set the rate you get against the mid-market rate and look at the difference.

Specialist money transfer services often use rates closer to the mid-market rate. On GoldexPay you can compare the amount that arrives with different providers, so you can pick the cheapest route. You can always use your account at Danske Bank.