Schweizerische Nationalbank SWIFT/BIC code

What SNBZCHZZ means for a payment to Schweizerische Nationalbank

SNBZCHZZ and SNBZCHZZXXX are the short and the long form of the same SWIFT/BIC code, and both lead to Schweizerische Nationalbank in Zurich. The code has a single purpose: it makes sure that a cross-border transfer ends up at the right bank. In daily life you usually come across it on international invoices, in payment forms and in the bank details that Schweizerische Nationalbank provides.

This page is meant to help anyone who receives money at an account at Schweizerische Nationalbank. A SWIFT code identifies an institution, not a specific account; the IBAN or account number does that.

Paying Schweizerische Nationalbank in euros within SEPA

Switzerland is a member of the SEPA area. When you send euros from another SEPA country, you normally only need the IBAN; many banks no longer ask for the BIC.

The BIC does come into play for payments in other currencies, and for transfers from outside SEPA. If your banking app has a field for the BIC regardless, adding SNBZCHZZ is fine.

Instant euro transfers have become increasingly supported within SEPA. Provided no currency is converted, a SEPA transfer tends to be inexpensive; costs rise once a conversion is involved.

Receiving money from abroad at Schweizerische Nationalbank

When you expect money from abroad, give the sender everything they need in one go. In practice that means: your full name exactly as it appears on the account, your account number or IBAN, the BIC SNBZCHZZXXX (or SNBZCHZZ) and sometimes your postal address.

Certain banks want the bank’s address in Zurich; it does no harm to include it. A mistake in your account number is harder to fix than it looks; copy them from your banking app rather than typing.

Expect that the amount credited is below what the sender paid. Fees for incoming transfers vary per bank – the price list of Schweizerische Nationalbank tells you what applies. For business payments, you can agree who bears the costs, so that nobody is left short.

How up to date is this code?

We gather SWIFT/BIC codes from public sources and check them regularly. Still, banks merge, rename themselves or change codes. Figures such as the number of codes come from our own dataset.

Treat the information on this page as a handy check and rely on the recipient or Schweizerische Nationalbank for the final confirmation. GoldexPay is an independent comparison service for money transfers and not part of Schweizerische Nationalbank. If you notice something that is out of date, we appreciate a short note.

Sending money abroad from Schweizerische Nationalbank

The price of an international transfer has several parts. There is the fee for the transfer itself, possibly charges from correspondent banks along the way and, most importantly, the exchange rate markup if the currency changes.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, rather than in the fee: the bank converts using an exchange rate with a margin built in. A simple test: put the rate you get against the mid-market rate for the same moment and look at the difference.

Specialist money transfer services often use a rate near the mid-market rate. GoldexPay compares what recipients receive across providers. You can still keep your account at Schweizerische Nationalbank as the source of the money; only the conversion and sending happen elsewhere.

What the XXX in SNBZCHZZXXX means

A SWIFT code is made up of fixed blocks: the first four letters stand for the bank, characters five and six show the country and characters seven and eight mark the location. That gives you SNBZCHZZ.

Most payment forms accept both lengths. If yours asks for eleven characters, enter SNBZCHZZXXX.

Type the code as one block, in capitals and without separators. A single character can send the money to a different institution.

Transfer times and tracking a payment to Schweizerische Nationalbank

There is no single answer for international payments: some arrive within a day. Weekends and public holidays in either country add extra days to the journey. Sometimes a bank asks what the payment is for, which can hold things up.

A growing number of banks are connected to SWIFT gpi. Every payment gets a unique reference, the UETR, which your bank can use to see where the money is. Save the payment confirmation until the money has arrived.

A missing payment is traced by the sending bank on the basis of the transfer details. As a recipient, it helps to check your account for a slightly lower amount because fees can reduce the amount.

Is SNBZCHZZ still correct? How to check

Have the recipient send you their bank details directly from a recent statement. Check that code against SNBZCHZZ on this page and ask if anything does not match.

Mistakes in the SWIFT code are annoying more than disastrous: often the payment comes back, minus fees. An error in the account number is a bigger problem because it can reach the wrong person.

An automatic check in your banking app only confirms that the code is valid, not that it is the right account. If your bank offers it, a payee name check before sending gives extra certainty. For a first payment, some people send a small test amount before sending the rest.

The Swiss Franc and what conversion costs you

The currency of Switzerland is the Swiss Franc (CHF). When you pay another currency gets converted somewhere along the way – by your bank, by Schweizerische Nationalbank or by a bank in between. Each conversion eats into the amount – usually through the rate rather than a fee.

Who converts the payment matters: every bank has its own margin. In many cases it is cheaper to send CHF straight away through a provider with a good rate.

Exchange rates move during the day – some services let you fix a rate in advance. On larger amounts, even seemingly small gap in the rate adds up quickly.

Schweizerische Nationalbank: head office code versus branch codes

Having 4 codes in 2 locations, Schweizerische Nationalbank is one of the banks that register separate codes for branches. The head office code remains SNBZCHZZXXX.

If nobody asks you for a branch code, go with SNBZCHZZXXX. Just use a branch code when your contact gives you that exact code.

Not sure which code applies? Check with the recipient. Branch codes are more prone to change than SNBZCHZZXXX when a bank merges or closes offices.

Watch out for payment fraud

Be wary if a contact suddenly asks you to pay into a different account or a bank in another country. The fact that SNBZCHZZ exists is no guarantee that the account is genuine; criminals use the codes of real banks too.

Do not rely on contact details in the same message that announces the new account. Urgency or requests to keep it quiet are red flags; a genuine business can wait for you to check. Already paid? Call your bank straight away and have them try to recall the payment and report the fraud.

Scams can also work the other way: someone claims to have sent too much and wants you to return the difference to a new account. A screenshot of a transfer proves nothing; only your own account shows what has arrived.