SWIFT/BIC codes in Switzerland: banks starting with P

Finding a SWIFT code in Switzerland

Here you will find the SWIFT/BIC codes of 697 banks in Switzerland. You will need such a code mainly for international transfers.

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

Raiffeisen Schweiz Genossenschaft and its SWIFT codes

Of the 697 banks in Switzerland, Raiffeisen Schweiz Genossenschaft has the most codes. The head office of Raiffeisen Schweiz Genossenschaft has RAIFCH22XXX.

How many codes a bank has tells you something about how it organises its payments than about its size. Making a payment to Raiffeisen Schweiz Genossenschaft? Use RAIFCH22XXX except when the recipient gives you a branch code.

How SWIFT codes from Switzerland are built

SWIFT/BIC codes use the same format worldwide: 8 characters plus an optional three-character extension. First comes a four-letter bank code, then two letters for the country and a two-character location code.

Whatever the bank, every code from Switzerland share the same country code in positions five and six, namely the ISO code of Switzerland. When the country letters point to another country, you are looking at a bank somewhere else, so check again.

An 11-character code adds a branch code. Choose a branch code only if the recipient explicitly gives you one; otherwise the head office code is the safe choice.

Bank or transfer service for Switzerland?

A bank transfer to Switzerland often costs more than the fee suggests. Besides the fee, correspondent banks can deduct a charge and, if currencies are converted, the bank usually uses a less favourable rate than the actual market rate.

The real cost is often in the rate, rather than in the fee: banks convert at a rate with a margin built in. A simple test: set the rate you get against the mid-market rate and work out the difference on your amount.

For a lot of currency pairs, a specialist provider turns out to be cheaper than a bank, mainly because of the rate. GoldexPay compares what recipients in Switzerland receive across providers, which makes the cheapest option easy to spot.

Getting paid from abroad into an account in Switzerland

If you are waiting for a payment from another country on an account in Switzerland, send the payer everything they need in one go. Give them the account holder’s name, your account number or IBAN, your bank’s SWIFT code and your address.

Look up the bank in the list on this page to check its code. It helps to add the name and city of your bank as well.

What lands in your account can be less than the amount sent. Charges on incoming payments differ per bank. On invoices, state who bears the costs, so nobody is left short.

How long does a transfer to Switzerland take?

There is no single delivery time for payments to Switzerland: some land the same day or the next. Transfers sent late in the day or just before weekends and holidays often go out a business day later.

A growing number of banks are connected to SWIFT gpi for faster and traceable payments. Each payment gets a unique transaction reference, the UETR. Specialist transfer services usually show a status online.

Banks in Switzerland starting with :letter

This page shows only banks in Switzerland whose name starts with :letter in alphabetical order. The counts in the introduction still cover all banks in Switzerland, not just this letter.

Bank not listed? Its official name may begin with another word, for example the full legal name rather than a brand name. Try the full list for Switzerland when you are not sure how the name is spelled.

Check the code before you pay

The best place to find the right code is a document from the bank itself, such as a statement or the account page in online banking. An incorrect BIC may lead to a delay, a payment being sent back or additional charges, so compare it with the list on this page.

We gather bank codes using publicly available data and update them regularly. Even so, banks merge or retire codes. For a payment of any size, confirm the BIC with the recipient’s bank. GoldexPay is an independent comparison site and has no link to the banks in this list.

Be wary of invoices with changed bank details. A valid BIC says nothing about whether a request is genuine.

Switzerland and the SEPA area

Inside SEPA, euro transfers to Switzerland use common rules, so the IBAN does the job in most cases. A field for the BIC is usually optional for those payments.

You still need a SWIFT code when sending payments in other currencies or transfers from countries outside SEPA. Instant payments in euros have become increasingly available across SEPA, though not every bank offers them for every account. Costs stay low as long as everything stays in euros – conversion is what costs money.

The Swiss Franc (CHF) and conversion costs

Most accounts in Switzerland are usually held in CHF – the Swiss Franc. Money sent in a different currency will be exchanged into CHF on its way to the recipient – and the bank that does it picks the rate.

Which bank converts the money makes a difference: every bank has its own margin. In many cases you pay less if you send CHF directly via a provider with a good rate. Exchange rates move all the time.