Bank of Scotland SWIFT/BIC code

SWIFT/BIC code of Bank of Scotland

The short code BOFSGB22 and the 11-character code BOFSGB22XXX refer to the same bank: Bank of Scotland. The code has a single purpose: it ensures that a cross-border transfer ends up at the right bank. You will need it mostly when dealing with payments that cross a border and payments in foreign currencies.

Further down we go through the practical side: receiving money at Bank of Scotland, sending money abroad and how to check a SWIFT code before you confirm a payment. Keep in mind that the SWIFT code only identifies the bank, not the account: the account number or IBAN takes care of that.

How to check BOFSGB22 before you pay

The best place to find the correct BIC remains paperwork issued by the bank. When the code you were given differs from BOFSGB22 or BOFSGB22XXX, do not guess – contact the recipient or Bank of Scotland.

A wrong SWIFT code can cause a delay, a returned payment or additional charges. Remember the IBAN: a mistake there is more difficult to correct than a wrong BIC.

A format check by your bank only tells you that the IBAN exists – not that it belongs to the person you mean to pay. If your bank offers it, a name check before sending gives an extra layer of safety. For a first payment, some people send a small amount first and wait for confirmation.

Do you need BOFSGB22 for a SEPA transfer?

United Kingdom is part of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), the zone for uniform euro payments. When you send euros within SEPA, the IBAN is usually enough; many banks no longer ask for the BIC.

You still need BOFSGB22XXX for payments in other currencies or transfers from countries outside SEPA. A few forms still show a field for the BIC; in that case, enter BOFSGB22.

Euro payments within SEPA normally land within one business day. Provided no currency is converted, a SEPA transfer tends to be cheap; it is the conversion that costs money.

What the XXX in BOFSGB22XXX means

The structure of a BIC is always the same: four characters for the institution, a two-letter country code and a two-character location code, sometimes followed by a branch code. The result is BOFSGB22 for Bank of Scotland.

Many banks and apps accept both lengths. If a form requires eleven characters, enter BOFSGB22XXX; if it wants eight, use BOFSGB22.

In practice the code is typed in capitals and without spaces. Watch for O versus 0 and I versus 1.

Getting paid from abroad into a Bank of Scotland account

Someone abroad who wants to pay you will ask for a few details from you, and missing ones are a common cause of delays. What they need is: the account holder’s name, account number or IBAN, BOFSGB22XXX and, for some countries, your postal address.

It helps to include the bank name and London as well, since some forms ask for it. Check each detail before you send them – a sender rarely spots a mistake in someone else’s details.

An incoming payment does not always arrive for the full amount. Correspondent banks can take a fee, and if the currency changes, a markup on the rate comes on top. Make clear with the sender who pays which costs before the money is sent.

Where our SWIFT data comes from

We gather bank codes using public sources and check our list from time to time. Banks reorganise, change names and retire codes, and a directory never catches every change immediately. Counts and locations are from our directory and are not confirmed by Bank of Scotland.

Before any payment that matters, always check the BIC with Bank of Scotland or with the recipient. We are an independent comparison site and not part of Bank of Scotland. Should you notice something that is out of date, we appreciate a message via the contact page.

Protect yourself against fake payment requests

One of the most common tricks works like this: you receive a request saying that a contact has a new bank account. A valid SWIFT code tells you nothing about who owns the account.

Check changed bank details through a different channel, such as a phone number you already know, not by replying to the message. Urgency and secrecy tend to be warning signs – a real supplier can wait a day. Already paid? Contact your bank without delay and have them start a recall.

Fraud also target the receiver. Someone sends more than agreed and wants you to return the extra to a new account. A payment confirmation from the sender proves nothing.

British Pound (GBP) and conversion costs

The currency of United Kingdom is the British Pound (GBP). A payment in a foreign currency will be exchanged into GBP before it reaches the account, and whoever converts it chooses the rate. There is rarely a separate charge for that conversion.

Which bank converts the payment matters: every bank has its own margin. Transferring the money already in GBP often avoids a second conversion at the receiving end, provided the rate you get is fair.

The GBP rate changes constantly and quotes are often valid only for a short time. If you pay regularly, a slightly better rate add up over time.

Tracking a transfer to or from Bank of Scotland

There is no fixed answer for every transfer: many arrive the same day or the next while others need several business days. Payments made late in the day or just before a weekend or public holiday usually start a business day later. Compliance checks on larger or unusual payments may also cause some delay, regardless of the details.

Many banks are connected to SWIFT gpi, which lets them follow a payment from bank to bank. Every gpi transfer carries a unique transaction reference, the UETR. Save the payment confirmation – you will need it for any trace request.

Only the sending bank is able to start an official trace or a recall – the recipient’s bank often cannot see a payment that has not arrived. As a recipient, it helps to check your statements for a slightly lower amount because fees can reduce the amount.

Bank of Scotland: head office code versus branch codes

Having 2 codes in 2 locations, Bank of Scotland belongs to the banks that register individual codes for branches. The main code is BOFSGB22XXX.

Unless the recipient tells you otherwise, use BOFSGB22XXX or its short form BOFSGB22. If you have been given a branch code, use it as it is rather than swapping it with the head office code.

Unsure which code applies? Ask the recipient or the bank itself. Codes are sometimes changed or retired when banks reorganise, so do not rely on old paperwork.

Sending money abroad from Bank of Scotland

When you send money abroad via Bank of Scotland, the visible fee is rarely all of the cost. You pay the transfer fee, possibly charges from correspondent banks along the way and, most importantly, the margin on the exchange rate if the currency changes.

The real cost is often in the rate, rather than in the fee: many banks convert at a rate that includes a margin. An easy check: put the rate you get next to the mid-market rate and work out the difference on your amount.

Specialised transfer providers often offer a rate near the mid-market rate. On GoldexPay you can compare the amount that arrives with different services, which makes the cheapest option easy to spot. You can always keep your account at Bank of Scotland to fund the transfer, while a cheaper service handles the conversion.