Societe Generale SWIFT/BIC code

SOGEGB2L – the SWIFT/BIC code of Societe Generale

If an invoice shows SOGEGB2L or SOGEGB2LXXX, you are looking at the identical address for Societe Generale in United Kingdom. Banks worldwide use BIC codes to route international transfers to the correct institution. In daily life you mostly see the code on international invoices, in payment forms and in the bank details that Societe Generale provides.

This page is meant to help people who receives money at an account at Societe Generale and wants to get the details right. A SWIFT code identifies a bank or branch, not a specific account; the IBAN or account number does that.

How up to date is this code?

The directory on GoldexPay is based on public sources and we update it periodically. Even so, banks merge or retire codes, so information can be out of date. The number of codes we show reflect our own data.

For a payment of any size, always check the BIC with the recipient’s bank or with the recipient. GoldexPay is a comparison site for money transfers and not part of Societe Generale. Found an error? Let us know via our contact form and we will look into it.

How to check SOGEGB2L before you pay

Ask the recipient to send you their account details straight from their online banking. When the code you were given does not match SOGEGB2L or SOGEGB2LXXX, stop and ask – contact the recipient or Societe Generale.

If the code is wrong, the transfer may get stuck, bounce back or cost extra, and tracing it can take weeks. A mistake in the IBAN or account number can be a bigger problem, so check that just as carefully.

Most online banking apps check the format of IBANs and some suggest the matching BIC, but that does not prove the account belongs to the right person. If your bank offers it, a payee name check on the recipient gives an extra layer of safety. For a first payment, some people send a small test amount before sending the rest.

International transfers from Societe Generale: the real cost

The price of a payment abroad is made up of several parts, and the transfer fee is only the most visible one. You pay the transfer fee, sometimes charges from correspondent banks in between and, above all, the margin on the exchange rate.

That exchange rate margin tends to be the largest cost because it is hidden in the rate. An easy check: put the rate you get next to the mid-market rate for the same moment and work out the difference on your amount.

Specialist money transfer services often use rates closer to the mid-market rate with clearer fees. Before your next transfer, it is worth to compare what arrives via GoldexPay rather than accepting the bank’s rate by default. Choosing a specialist does not require closing your account at Societe Generale – you pay the provider from your own account.

SEPA payments and the Societe Generale BIC

United Kingdom is part of the SEPA area. When you send euros within SEPA, you normally only need the IBAN.

Outside the euro and from non-SEPA countries, SOGEGB2LXXX or SOGEGB2L remains required. If your banking app asks for the BIC regardless, entering SOGEGB2L does no harm.

SEPA transfers normally land by the next business day. Fees for SEPA payments tend to be low as long as everything stays in euros.

Changed bank details? Be careful

Criminals regularly use payment requests with changed bank details, sometimes in an email that looks completely genuine. A real SWIFT code tells you nothing about who owns the account.

Always confirm a change of bank details through a phone call on a number you know, not one from the message. Urgency and requests to keep it quiet tend to be red flags – a real supplier can wait a day. Already paid? Call the bank you paid from without delay and ask them to try to recall the payment.

Fraud can also target the receiver: someone sends more than agreed and asks you to return the difference to a new account. Do not act before the money has really arrived and check with Societe Generale if anything seems off.

Getting paid from abroad into a Societe Generale account

To receive a transfer from abroad at Societe Generale, the sender has to have not just the SWIFT code. Give them your name as the bank knows it, the IBAN or account number, the BIC SOGEGB2LXXX and your address.

Certain sending banks also ask for the bank’s address. A mistake in the IBAN can be harder to fix than you might think, so copy the details from your online banking.

Do not be surprised if the incoming amount is smaller than what the sender paid. Charges on incoming payments vary from bank to bank. Agree with the sender who pays which costs before the money is sent.

Paying into Societe Generale in GBP

The currency in United Kingdom is the British Pound (GBP). Money sent in a different currency is converted into GBP before it reaches the account – and the bank that does it picks the rate. There is rarely a separate line for that conversion.

Where the conversion happens has an effect on the final amount, since every bank sets its own rate. In many cases you pay less if you send GBP straight away via a provider with a good rate rather than letting the receiving bank convert.

The rate for GBP fluctuates throughout the day and quotes are often valid only for a short time. For recurring payments, a slightly better rate add up over time.

Societe Generale: head office code versus branch codes

With 3 codes in 1 locations, Societe Generale belongs to the banks that register separate codes for branches and departments. The head office code remains SOGEGB2LXXX.

Unless the recipient tells you otherwise, use SOGEGB2LXXX. Just use a branch code when your contact gives you that exact code.

Not sure which code applies? Check with the recipient or the bank itself. Branch codes are sometimes changed or retired when banks reorganise, so do not rely on old paperwork.

Why Societe Generale has an 8- and an 11-character code

The structure of a BIC never changes: four characters for the institution, a two-letter country code and a two-character location code, sometimes followed by a branch code. That gives you SOGEGB2L.

The 11-character version adds a three-character extension that identify a branch or department. When those three characters are XXX, they simply mean the head office.

Leave out spaces when you type SOGEGB2L. Watch for the letter O and the digit 0 or I versus 1.

Transfer times and tracking a payment to Societe Generale

There is no single answer: many land the same day or the next while others need several business days. Bank holidays in the sending or receiving country add extra days, since banks do not process on those days. Sometimes a bank asks what the payment is for before releasing it.

When a payment takes longer than expected, ask your bank for the status so they can trace it along the chain. Money transfer services often provide a status online showing where the payment has got.

If the money does not arrive after a few business days, the sender should contact the bank that sent it. As a recipient, you can check your statements to see a partial amount, since fees may have been deducted.