Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited SWIFT/BIC code

OCBCUS6L – the SWIFT/BIC code of Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited

Whether a recipient gives you OCBCUS6L or OCBCUS6LXXX, it is the same address for Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited in United States. Banks worldwide use these codes to route international transfers to the correct bank. In practice you usually come across the code on invoices from abroad, in your banking app and on the account details of Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited customers.

This page is meant to help anyone who sends money to an account at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited and wants to get the details right. The SWIFT code alone does not identify an individual account holder; for that you need the account number or IBAN is for.

How to check OCBCUS6L before you pay

Have the recipient send you their account details straight from their online banking. When the code you were given does not match OCBCUS6L or OCBCUS6LXXX, do not guess: check with the recipient or with Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited directly.

Mistakes in the SWIFT code tend to be annoying more than fatal: often the payment comes back, minus fees. Do not forget the IBAN: a mistake there is harder to undo than a wrong code.

An automatic check by your bank only tells you that the IBAN exists – not that it belongs to the person you mean to pay. Some banks now compare the name against the account; take any warning seriously. A small test payment is a sensible step for a large first payment, even if it costs an extra fee.

Which of the 2 codes of Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited do you need?

Our directory lists 2 SWIFT/BIC codes for Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited. Besides the head office code OCBCUS6LXXX, you will find codes for branches, departments or specific services.

For the vast majority of payments to a private or business account, the head office code OCBCUS6LXXX is the right choice. If you have been given a specific code, stick to it instead of replacing it with the head office code.

The best way is to copy the code directly from the recipient’s bank details. Branch codes are more prone to be retired than the head office code.

Why Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited has an 8- and an 11-character code

A BIC is made up of fixed blocks: characters one to four stand for the bank, characters five and six give the country and the two after that mark the location. Combined, those parts form OCBCUS6L, the code most people search for.

Most payment forms work with both lengths. If yours asks for eleven characters, use OCBCUS6LXXX.

In practice the code is written in capitals and without spaces. Look out for O versus 0 or I versus 1, a common source of typos.

International transfers from Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited: the real cost

An international bank payment costs more than the fee suggests. You pay the transfer fee, possibly charges from correspondent banks in between and, above all, the margin on the exchange rate when the money is converted.

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 and work out the difference on your amount.

For many routes, a specialist provider is less expensive than a traditional bank transfer. GoldexPay compares the amount that arrives with different services. Choosing a specialist does not require leaving Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited.

Paying into Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited in USD

United States uses the US Dollar, code USD. When you pay money in a different currency gets converted somewhere along the way – by your bank, by Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited or by a bank in between. Every conversion costs the amount, even when no fee is shown.

Which bank converts the payment matters, because each party uses its own rate. Check what USD arrives via different providers; the difference between options can be larger than you expect.

Rates for USD move during the day – some services let you fix a rate in advance. For recurring payments, small differences in the rate add up over a year.

Receiving money from abroad at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited

For a transfer from abroad at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited, the person paying you has to have more than the SWIFT code. That means: your name as registered with Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited, your account number or IBAN, the SWIFT/BIC code OCBCUS6LXXX and usually your address.

The sender’s bank may request the bank address of Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited. A mistake in your account number is harder to fix than you might think, so copy the details from your online banking.

What lands in your account is often lower than what was sent. Intermediary banks may deduct a fee and your own bank may charge for processing, and if the currency changes, an exchange rate margin comes on top. On invoices, it is common to state how the fees are split to avoid a shortfall.

Scams that use SWIFT codes

One of the most common tricks works like this: an email arrives with a message claiming that a contact has new bank details. That OCBCUS6L is a real code does not mean that the account is genuine.

Always confirm changed bank details through a phone call, using a number you already had. Be suspicious of urgent requests, odd spelling or an email address that differs by one letter. Already paid? Contact your bank without delay and have them try to recall the payment; also report it to the police.

Fraud also target the receiver: someone claims to have sent more than agreed and asks you to refund the difference to a new account. Do not act before the money is actually in your account and check with Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited if anything seems off.

How long does an international transfer to Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited take?

There is no single answer for international payments: many land the same day or the next, others take several business days. Bank holidays in either country can add extra days. Occasionally a bank wants to know about the purpose of a payment, which can hold things up.

Many banks use SWIFT gpi, which lets them follow a payment from bank to bank. Every payment carries a unique reference, the UETR, which your bank can use to see where the money is. Specialist transfer services usually show tracking online so you can see where the money is.

A delayed transfer has to be traced by the sending bank, using the payment confirmation. As a recipient, it helps to check your statements for a partial amount, since fees may have been deducted.

About this information

The details here come from publicly available data. Still, banks merge, rename themselves or change codes, so information can be out of date. Counts and locations are from our directory.

See the information on this page as a helpful check, and let the details from the recipient or Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited have the final say. GoldexPay is an independent comparison site for money transfers and not affiliated with Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited. Spotted outdated information? Let us know through the contact page.