National Australia Bank Limited SWIFT/BIC code

National Australia Bank Limited SWIFT code: NATAGB2L

The short code NATAGB2L and the full code NATAGB2LXXX identify one and the same institution: National Australia Bank Limited, with its head office in London. A SWIFT code shows the banks handling a payment which institution should receive the money, much like a postcode for banks. It comes up mostly when dealing with transfers between countries or a currency.

On this page we explain how the code is put together, when it matters and what else you need for a transfer to or from National Australia Bank Limited. Remember that the BIC just identifies the bank, not the person: the account number or IBAN takes care of that.

Tracking a transfer to or from National Australia Bank Limited

A SWIFT payment typically takes anywhere from one to several business days. Bank holidays in either country add extra days, since banks do not process on those days. Extra checks on larger or unusual payments may also cause some delay, even when all details are correct.

When a payment takes longer than expected, contact your bank about the tracking status and the transaction reference. Save the payment confirmation until the recipient confirms – you will need it for any trace request.

A delayed transfer has to be investigated from the sending side. As a recipient, it helps to check your account to see a slightly lower amount.

Paying someone abroad from your National Australia Bank Limited account

If you transfer money to another country via National Australia Bank Limited, the fee you see is only part of the cost. You pay the fee for the transfer itself, possibly fees charged by intermediary banks along the way and, above all, the margin on the exchange rate when the money is converted.

Banks do not show the margin on the rate as a cost – you only notice it if you compare. A simple test: put the bank’s rate next to the mid-market rate and work out the difference on your amount.

For many routes, a transfer service turns out to be cheaper than a traditional bank transfer. GoldexPay compares the amount that arrives with different services, which makes the cheapest option easy to spot. You can always keep your account at National Australia Bank Limited as the source of the money, while a cheaper service handles the conversion.

Watch out for payment fraud

One of the most common tricks goes like this: an email arrives with a request saying that a contact now has a new bank account and asking you to pay there from now on. A real SWIFT code says nothing about whether the request is genuine – scammers simply use real codes.

Verify new payment details through a separate channel, such as a phone number you already know, not by replying to the message. Urgency or requests to keep it quiet are warning signs. If money has already gone to the wrong account, contact your bank immediately – speed improves the chance of getting it back.

Recipients are targeted too: a classic trick is a buyer who pays too much followed by a request to refund the difference abroad. A payment confirmation from the sender proves nothing; only your own account shows what has arrived.

The British Pound and what conversion costs you

Most accounts at National Australia Bank Limited are typically held in GBP, the local currency. A payment in a foreign currency will be converted into GBP on its way to National Australia Bank Limited. Each conversion eats into the amount, even when no fee is shown.

Which bank converts the payment matters: every bank has its own margin. In many cases it is cheaper if you send GBP directly through a transfer service with a good rate.

Exchange rates move during the day, and some providers let you lock in a rate. For recurring payments, small differences in the rate make a real difference over a year.

How up to date is this code?

We gather SWIFT/BIC codes using public sources and update them from time to time. Banks merge, change names and change codes, and a directory never catches every change immediately. The figures we show are based on our own data and not on information from National Australia Bank Limited itself.

Before a payment that matters, always check the code with National Australia Bank Limited or the recipient. We are an independent comparison service for money transfers and not part of National Australia Bank Limited. Spotted outdated information? Let us know through the contact page and we will look into it.

NATAGB2L or NATAGB2LXXX – which one to use?

Every SWIFT/BIC code starts with the same eight core characters: four letters for the bank, two letters for the country and a two-character location code. That gives you NATAGB2L, the short form of the code.

The 11-character version has three more characters for a branch or department. When those three characters are XXX, they simply mean the head office, which is why NATAGB2LXXX and NATAGB2L lead to the same place.

Do not add spaces, dots when you type NATAGB2L; the code is always written in one block. A single letter can send the money to a different institution, so copy it carefully.

How to check NATAGB2L before you pay

The safest source for a SWIFT code is the bank details provided by the recipient – an invoice, a statement or a screenshot from online banking. If the code you have differs from NATAGB2L or NATAGB2LXXX, do not guess – contact the recipient or National Australia Bank Limited.

Errors in the SWIFT code tend to be annoying rather than disastrous: often the payment comes back, minus fees. Remember the account number: a mistake there is more difficult to undo than a wrong BIC.

A validity check in your banking app merely confirms that the code is valid – not that it belongs to the person you mean to pay. Where available, a payee name check before sending gives an extra layer of safety. A small test payment can be worth it for a large first payment despite the extra fee.

What to give a sender who pays you at National Australia Bank Limited

If you are waiting for a payment from another country, give the sender all details at once. Give them your name as the bank knows it, your account number or IBAN, SWIFT code NATAGB2LXXX and your address.

The sender’s bank may also ask for the address of your bank. A mistake in your account number is more trouble than you might think.

The amount you receive is often less than the amount sent. Fees for incoming transfers differ per bank. On invoices, it is common to state how the fees are split.

Choosing between the 2 SWIFT codes of National Australia Bank Limited

Our directory lists 2 SWIFT/BIC codes for National Australia Bank Limited, spread over 1 locations. Next to the head office code NATAGB2LXXX, you will find codes for regional offices and specialised units.

For most incoming transfers, the head office code NATAGB2LXXX is what you need. Just use a branch code when your contact explicitly asks for it, for example on a letter or invoice.

When in doubt, check with the recipient which code their bank gave them. Branch codes are more prone to change than NATAGB2LXXX.

Do you need NATAGB2L for a SEPA transfer?

Within the SEPA zone, euro transfers to an account in United Kingdom use the same rules, so the IBAN does the job in most cases. The BIC field is usually optional or missing in that case.

The BIC does come into play when the currency is not euros. If a payment form asks for the BIC regardless, entering NATAGB2L is fine.

Instant payments in euros are increasingly available within SEPA – whether National Australia Bank Limited offers them for your account is worth checking. As long as the payment stays in euros, the transfer is inexpensive; costs rise once a conversion is involved.