Canara Bank SWIFT/BIC code

SWIFT/BIC code of Canara Bank

Whether you are given CNRBGB2L or CNRBGB2LXXX, you are looking at the same identifier for Canara Bank in United Kingdom. Banks worldwide use BIC codes to direct payments between countries to the right bank. In practice you mostly come across the code on international invoices, in payment forms and in the bank details that Canara Bank provides.

Further down you will find the practical side: receiving money at Canara Bank, paying someone in another country and how to verify the code before you hit send. The SWIFT code on its own does not identify a personal account; for that you need the account number or IBAN .

Scams that use SWIFT codes

Criminals often send payment requests with new bank details, sometimes in an email that looks completely genuine. A real SWIFT code says nothing about who owns the account.

Check changed bank details through a separate channel like a call to a number from an earlier contract. Be suspicious of time pressure, odd spelling or a sender address that is slightly off. Already paid? Contact the bank you paid from without delay and have them start a recall and report the fraud.

Fraud also target the receiver. Someone claims to have sent more than agreed and wants you to return the difference. Do not act before the money is actually in your account.

Receiving money from abroad at Canara Bank

When you expect money from abroad, give the sender a complete set of details. What they need is: your name, account number or IBAN, CNRBGB2LXXX or CNRBGB2L and often your home address.

Some sending banks want the address of Canara Bank; it does no harm to include it. A typo in your account number can be more trouble than it looks.

What lands in your account is often less than the amount sent. Charges on incoming payments differ per bank; check the price list of Canara Bank. On invoices, you can agree who bears the costs to avoid a shortfall.

Euro transfers to Canara Bank: is a BIC needed?

United Kingdom is a member of the SEPA area, the zone for standardised euro payments. When you send euros from another SEPA country, you normally only need the IBAN and the BIC is often filled in automatically.

You will still need CNRBGB2LXXX when sending non-euro payments or transfers from countries outside SEPA. A few forms still ask for the BIC out of habit; if so, enter CNRBGB2L.

Instant payments in euros are increasingly supported across SEPA. As long as no currency is converted, the transfer is inexpensive; it is the conversion that costs money.

Paying someone abroad from your Canara Bank account

The price of a payment abroad is made up of more than one component – not just the fee on your screen. There is the transfer fee, possibly fees charged by intermediary banks along the way and, above all, the margin on the exchange rate.

That exchange rate margin is often the largest cost, and it is easy to miss. Check the rate you are offered against the mid-market rate, the midpoint between buy and sell rates you see on financial sites. The difference is your real conversion cost.

Money transfer services often use rates closer to the mid-market rate with clearer fees. GoldexPay compares the amount that arrives across services, so you can pick the cheapest route. You can always use your account at Canara Bank to fund the transfer.

A note on our data

The details here are taken from public sources that we update regularly. Banks reorganise, close branches and change codes. Counts and locations are from our directory.

See our directory on this page as a handy check. GoldexPay has no connection to Canara Bank, we only compare transfer services. If you notice something that is out of date, we welcome a short note via the contact page.

8 or 11 characters: CNRBGB2L versus CNRBGB2LXXX

Every SWIFT/BIC code starts with the same eight core characters: four letters for the bank, a two-letter country code and two characters for the location. Combined, these eight characters make up CNRBGB2L.

Many banks and apps accept either length. If yours asks for eleven characters, enter CNRBGB2LXXX.

In practice the code is typed in capitals and without spaces. Look out for O versus 0 or the letter I and the digit 1; they are easy to mix up.

How to check CNRBGB2L before you pay

The most reliable place for the right code is a document from the bank itself like a bank statement or the account page in online banking. When the code you were given does not match CNRBGB2L or CNRBGB2LXXX, stop and ask – contact the recipient or Canara Bank.

An incorrect BIC can cause delays, a returned payment or extra fees along the way. An error in the account number is more serious because it can reach the wrong person, so check that just as carefully.

A validity check in your banking app merely confirms that the IBAN exists. If your bank offers it, a payee name check on the recipient gives an extra layer of safety. A small test payment can be worth it for a large first payment despite the extra fee.

How long does an international transfer to Canara Bank take?

How fast a transfer reaches Canara Bank depends on several factors: the currency, how many intermediary banks are involved, daily processing deadlines and differences in time zone. Payments made after the cut-off time or on a weekend or public holiday often go out a business day later. Compliance checks on larger or unusual payments can also cause a delay, regardless of the details.

If the money is late, contact your bank about the tracking status. Save the payment confirmation until the money has arrived; it contains the details a bank needs to start a trace.

A delayed transfer is investigated from the sending side on the basis of the transfer details. As a recipient, you can look at your account for a slightly lower amount, since fees may have been deducted.

Head office or branch code at Canara Bank?

Having 2 codes in 2 locations, Canara Bank is one of the banks that use separate codes for parts of the organisation. The main code is CNRBGB2LXXX.

For most payments to a private or business account, the head office code CNRBGB2LXXX works fine. Just use a branch code when the account holder gives you that exact code.

The safest approach is to take the code directly from the account holder’s invoice. Codes for branches are more likely to change than the head office code.

Sending GBP to Canara Bank

Accounts at Canara Bank are typically held in GBP, the national currency of United Kingdom. When you pay another currency it has to be converted at some point: by your bank, an intermediary or Canara Bank itself. Each conversion costs something – usually through the rate rather than a fee.

Which bank converts the payment matters, because each party uses its own rate. Transferring the money directly in GBP often avoids a second conversion by Canara Bank.

The rate for GBP fluctuates throughout the day. On larger amounts, a seemingly small gap in the rate adds up quickly.