Citibank International Limited SWIFT/BIC code

SWIFT/BIC code of Citibank International Limited

Whether a recipient gives you CITTGB21 or CITTGB21XXX, it is the same identifier for Citibank International Limited in United Kingdom. A SWIFT code shows the sending bank which institution is meant to get the money. You will need it mainly when dealing with transfers between countries or a currency.

We wrote this page to help anyone who sends money to an account at Citibank International Limited. The BIC names an institution, not a single account; the IBAN or account number does that.

Sending money abroad from Citibank International Limited

When you transfer money to another country via Citibank International Limited, the visible fee is rarely all of the cost. You pay the fee for the transfer itself, sometimes fees charged by intermediary banks along the way and, above all, the exchange rate markup.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, not in the fee: the bank converts using an exchange rate that includes a margin. A simple test: set the bank’s rate next to the mid-market rate for the same moment and work out the difference on your amount.

Money transfer services frequently use a rate near the mid-market rate. Next time you send money, it is worth to compare the total cost via GoldexPay instead of going straight to your bank. Choosing a specialist does not require closing your account at Citibank International Limited: you simply pay the service from your account.

CITTGB21 or CITTGB21XXX – which one to use?

A BIC is built from fixed blocks: characters one to four stand for the bank, the next two show the country and the two after that indicate the location. For Citibank International Limited, that core is CITTGB21.

XXX at the end of CITTGB21XXX does not stand for a placeholder or an error: it stands for the head office of Citibank International Limited. Some banking apps insist on 11 characters, in which case you can enter XXX after CITTGB21.

Leave out spaces, dots when you type CITTGB21. A single character can send a payment to another bank, so copy it carefully.

Before you send: check the Citibank International Limited code

The most reliable place for the correct BIC is a document from the bank itself, such as a statement or the account details in online banking. Check it with CITTGB21 on this page.

Mistakes in the BIC are annoying rather than fatal – usually the money comes back, minus fees and time lost. An error in the IBAN or account number can be a bigger problem.

A validity check in your banking app only confirms that the IBAN is valid – not that it belongs to the person you mean to pay. Where available, a payee name check on the recipient gives extra certainty. For a first payment, many people send a small test amount before sending the rest.

Getting paid from abroad into a Citibank International Limited account

Someone abroad who wants to pay you needs several details about your account – incomplete details often cause delays. The basics are: your name, account number or IBAN, CITTGB21XXX and often your home address.

The sender’s bank may request the bank address of Citibank International Limited; the head office in London is usually fine. A typo in your account number can be harder to fix than it looks, so copy the details from your online banking.

Money from abroad will not always land for the full amount. Charges on incoming payments differ from bank to bank – the price list of Citibank International Limited tells you what applies. For business payments, you can state how the fees are split, so that nobody is left short.

Transfer times and tracking a payment to Citibank International Limited

A SWIFT payment typically needs anywhere from one to several business days – it depends on currency, route and the banks in between. Weekends and public holidays in either country can add a day or more. Sometimes a bank wants to know about the purpose of a payment before releasing it.

A growing number of banks use SWIFT gpi, which lets them follow a payment from bank to bank. Every gpi transfer gets a unique reference, the UETR. Specialist transfer services often show a status in their app showing how far the payment is.

Only the sending bank can request a trace; the receiving side usually has nothing to trace yet. On the receiving end, it helps to look at your statements to see a slightly lower amount, since fees may have been deducted.

Which of the 13 codes of Citibank International Limited do you need?

Citibank International Limited uses 13 separate SWIFT/BIC codes. Only one is the head office code, CITTGB21XXX; the rest belong to branches or departments.

If nobody asks you for a branch code, go with CITTGB21XXX. Just use a branch code when the account holder gives you that exact code, for example on an invoice or in their bank details.

The best way is to take the code straight from the recipient’s invoice. Codes for branches are more likely to change than the head office code when a bank merges or closes offices.

About this information

We gather SWIFT/BIC codes using public sources and check our list from time to time. Still, banks merge or retire codes. The figures on this page reflect our own data, not official figures from Citibank International Limited.

Before any payment of any size, confirm the BIC with Citibank International Limited or with the recipient. We are a comparison site and not affiliated with Citibank International Limited. If you notice something that is out of date, we appreciate a short note.

Changed bank details? Be careful

A common scam goes like this: you receive a request claiming that a contact now has new bank details and asking you to pay there from now on. A real SWIFT code tells you nothing about whether the request is genuine.

Do not rely on a phone number from the same email that announces the new account. Watch out for urgent requests, odd spelling or a sender address that is slightly off. When a payment was sent to the wrong account, call your bank right away: the sooner they act, the better the chance of a recall.

People receiving money are targeted too: one known trick is a buyer who pays too much and then sends a request to refund the difference to another account. A screenshot of a transfer is no proof – check your own account.

SEPA payments and the Citibank International Limited BIC

Inside SEPA, euro payments to Citibank International Limited follow common rules and in most cases need only the IBAN. The BIC field is often optional in that case.

The BIC still matter for payments in other currencies, and for transfers from outside SEPA. Some banks and apps still show a field for the BIC; in that case, enter CITTGB21.

SEPA transfers usually arrive within one business day. Charges on SEPA transfers tend to be low as long as everything stays in euros.

The British Pound and what conversion costs you

The local currency in United Kingdom is the British Pound (GBP). When you pay money in a different currency has to be converted somewhere along the way: by your bank, an intermediary or Citibank International Limited itself. Each conversion costs the amount – usually through the rate rather than a fee.

Who does the conversion affects how much arrives. Check what GBP arrives with several providers; the difference between options can be larger than you expect.

Exchange rates change during the day – some services let you fix a rate in advance. If you pay regularly, a slightly better rate add up over a year.