Sending an international wire through the Swift Network

With your Relay checking account1, you can send international wire payments to a payee. In order to send an international wire, you must first add a payee for the individual or business you are looking to pay. Your Payee's Recipient Address must be a valid physical address and cannot be a PO Box.

Please note: the ability to send international wires in non-USD currencies is not currently supported on the Relay mobile app at this time. Converting payments into a non-USD currency is only available Monday to Friday from 7 AM to 6 PM EST. You can still send international wires in USD outside of this timeframe.

For instructions on how to receive an international wire into your Relay account, please see Receiving an international wire.

How to send an international wire

Web Mobile
  1. Sign in to your Relay account.
  2. Navigate to the Payments tab.
  3. Click New Payment at the top-right corner of your screen.
  4. Select a recipient from the list of payees shown or add a new payee.
  5. Select International Wire (Swift Network) as the payment method.
  6. Select the source account for the payment.
  7. Enter the payment amount and currency2.
  8. Customize the payment with the desired frequency, payment date, and memo3.
  9. Confirm all required fields have been filled out, then click Next.
  10. Confirm the payment details, then click Initiate Payment.

Things to know when creating international wire payees

When sending an international wire to a new payee, you'll be asked to provide information about that payee that you wouldn't be asked for when sending payments via ACH or domestic wire, such as a SWIFT code. Find some frequently asked questions about international wire payees below:

What is a SWIFT code?

A SWIFT code/BIC is an 8-11 character code that identifies your payee's country, city, bank, and branch. It consists of:

  • A bank code - 4 letters representing the bank. It usually looks like a shortened version of that bank's name.
  • A country code - 2 letters representing the country the bank is in.
  • A location code - 2 characters made up of letters or numbers, indicating where that bank's head office is.
  • A branch code - 3 digits specifying a particular branch. 'XXX' represents the bank’s head office.

A SWIFT code acts similarly to a routing number for domestic transfers and is a requirement for all international wire payees. This code can be obtained directly from your payee.

A SWIFT code would be formatted like so: AAAABBCC123.

What is an IBAN?

An International Bank Account Number (IBAN) is the account number that's most commonly used for international wires. This number is comprised of up to 34 letters and numbers that help banks process international transfers. The specific format of an IBAN may vary by country; however, each set of characters represents a different detail for your payee's bank account.

Like a SWIFT code, an IBAN can be directly obtained from your payee, and will also consist of a country code, check digits, a bank code, a branch code, and an account number.

Please note: not all countries use an IBAN; if the receiving country does not require an IBAN, they will be able to provide an alternate account number in its place. See a full list of the countries that require an IBAN here.

What if the receiving country does not use postal codes?

When creating an international wire payee on Relay, you will be asked to provide a postal code. If you're sending an international wire to a payee whose country does not use postal codes, such as Hong Kong, Bahrain, or Belize, you may enter 00000 as the postal code when filling out the payee form.

Sending international wires to Australia: BSB numbers

When sending international wires to Australia, you will likely be required to include a Bank State Branch number or BSB. This is similar to a routing number for Australian banks.

This means that, rather than providing the recipient's account number in the Account Number field when configuring an international wire, you'd enter the BSB. It is recommended that you enter the account number in the Memo field as 'FBO [account number]' to ensure that your payment is processed smoothly.

China and CNAPS numbers

For any international wire payment made to a Chinese bank account in Yuan (the Chinese national currency), you are required to submit a CNAPS (China National Authorized Payment System) number for the account. This is only required for payments in Yuan, and will not be needed for international wire payments made in USD or other currencies.

Currently, in order to submit the CNAPS number for an international wire payment made in Yuan, you will need to contact our Customer Experience team. Please be sure to forward the CNAPS number(s), along with all the other necessary information required to initiate this international wire payment and we'd be happy to help!

UAE Purposes of Payment (PoP) codes

All international wire payments sent to an account within the United Arab Emirates are required to provide a Purpose of Payment (PoP) code. This code is standardized by the Emirati banking authorities, and you can find the list here.

When sending international wires to payees within the UAE, please be sure to include the relevant PoP code in the Memo field for your payment to ensure it's processed smoothly.

Mexican CLABE numbers

All international wire payments sent to Mexican bank accounts are required to provide a CLABE number (Clave Bancaria Esandarizada, which translates to Standard Bank Key). This is for reference since it is the standard bank account format in Mexico.

When sending international wires to payees in Mexico, please be sure to include the associated CLABE number in the Memo field for your payment to ensure it's processed smoothly.

Limits, processing timeline, and fees

All accounts have limits on how much you can send by international wire per day and month. For more information on how to view your account limits, please see Viewing your account limits.

Please note: International wires are sent out in 2-3 business days, on average; however they will usually arrive in the beneficiary's bank account in 5-7 business days. This timeline may vary depending on any intermediary institution(s) involved in the process. There is no cutoff time for international wire payments.

There is a $25 fee to send an international wire from Relay, although these fees are waived if you are a Relay Pro customer. The recipient may also incur additional fees from the receiving bank or its partners, if applicable. 

 

1 You can only send international wire payments from a Relay checking account. If you would like to move funds out of your savings account, you must first create an internal transfer in Relay between your savings and checking account.

2 For more information on how Relay's currency conversion works, as well as the currencies that are available when sending international wires, please see Converting currency in Relay and Currencies available in Relay. Please note that sending payments in non-USD currencies is not currently supported on the Relay mobile app.

3 When writing your payment memo, please provide a detailed business reason for payment. Memos that lack detail could be returned if the receiving institution deems them not compliant with regulatory obligations. We recommend adding information regarding what type of service was provided and any other specific indicators, along with the invoice number (if available).

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