SWIFT/BIC codes in Switzerland: banks starting with Q

Finding a SWIFT code in Switzerland

Our directory lists 697 banks and other institutions in Switzerland and 1904 SWIFT/BIC codes between them. A BIC tells the banks handling a transfer exactly which bank is meant to get the money.

Select the bank from the list to view the head office code and its other codes, plus practical notes for sending and receiving money. The rest of this page explain how the codes work, what transfers cost and the checks worth doing before you send money.

Check the code before you pay

The best place to find the correct BIC remains a document from the bank itself. If the code you have does not match our list, stop and ask.

Our SWIFT/BIC directory draws on public sources that we update periodically. Institutions merge, change names and change codes. Use our data as a starting point rather than the last word; the recipient’s bank details are leading. GoldexPay is a comparison service for money transfers, not a bank.

Be wary of invoices containing changed bank details – a common fraud method. A real SWIFT code tells you nothing about who owns the account.

Filter: banks in Switzerland with :letter

This filter limits the list down to banks in Switzerland starting with :letter to make searching quicker. The counts in the introduction still refer to all banks in Switzerland.

Some banks are listed under their official name rather than the name on their app or website, so the letter can differ from what you expect. Use the full list for Switzerland if you do not know how the name is spelled.

Switzerland and the Swiss Franc

The local currency of Switzerland is the Swiss Franc (CHF). Money sent in a different currency will be converted into CHF before it reaches the account – and the bank that does it picks the rate.

Who converts the money matters: every bank has its own margin. Often it is cheaper if you send CHF straight away through a provider that converts near the mid-market rate. On larger amounts, a seemingly small difference in the rate adds up quickly.

SEPA transfers to Switzerland

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

A SWIFT code does come into play when the currency is not euros and for transfers from outside SEPA. Euro payments within SEPA usually arrive by the next business day. Fees are generally low as long as no currency is converted – conversion is what costs money.

Raiffeisen Schweiz Genossenschaft and its SWIFT codes

Of the 697 banks in Switzerland, Raiffeisen Schweiz Genossenschaft has the largest number of codes. The head office uses RAIFCH22XXX – the code most transfers need.

A large number of codes usually reflects separate codes for branches, departments or services, not necessarily that the bank is the biggest in the country. Making a payment to Raiffeisen Schweiz Genossenschaft? Go with RAIFCH22XXX except when the recipient gives you a branch code.

What a sender needs to pay you in Switzerland

If you are waiting for a payment from another country in Switzerland, give the sender all details at once. Share the account holder’s name, your account number or IBAN, your bank’s SWIFT code and your address.

Find your bank in the list above to check its code – your bank statement is the final word. You can include the name and city of your bank because some forms have separate fields for it.

The amount you receive can be lower than the amount sent. Intermediary banks may deduct a fee and your own bank may charge for processing, and when currencies differ, a markup on the rate comes on top. On invoices, state who bears the costs to avoid a shortfall.

What a transfer to Switzerland really costs

The price of a transfer to Switzerland has several parts, and the fee on your screen is only one of them. Besides the fee, correspondent banks may take a cut and, if currencies are converted, the bank usually applies a less favourable rate than the actual market rate.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, not in the fee: banks convert at a rate with a margin built in. Check the bank’s rate with the mid-market rate that you find on financial sites.

Money transfer services frequently offer rates closer to the mid-market rate with clearer fees. On GoldexPay we compare what recipients in Switzerland receive with different services, so you can pick the cheapest route.

Recognising a SWIFT code from Switzerland

A BIC is 8 or 11 characters long and the parts always come in the same order. The first four letters identify the bank, characters five and six are the country code and the next two give the location.

You can spot a code from Switzerland by the fifth and sixth characters – those always form the country code of Switzerland. When the country letters point to another country, the code belongs to a bank somewhere else, so check again.

The optional last three characters identify a specific branch; XXX is used for the head office. Use a branch code only when the recipient’s bank asks for it; otherwise the head office code is the safe choice.

Tracking a payment to Switzerland

An international transfer to Switzerland usually takes anywhere from one to several business days. Transfers sent after the cut-off time or on a weekend or public holiday usually start a business day later.

Many banks are connected to SWIFT gpi for faster and traceable payments. Every payment gets a unique reference, the UETR. Money transfer services often provide a status in their app so you can follow the payment.