Transfer money overseas | How to guide - NAB
Things to know about transferring money overseas
- Before transferring any funds, confirm the bank details of the person or business you’re transferring to. You'll need the following information from your recipient:
- Their full name and physical/residential address, including the town (not a PO Box).
- The IBAN or bank account number.
- A SWIFT code or BIC (this identifies their bank) You can get a BIC/SWIFT code by:
- Asking your payee to request this from their bank
- Checking the payee bank's website
- Using the NAB BIC/SWIFT lookup tool
- Any other information they have, like sort codes or routing codes.
- To make an international transfer you need to have SMS Security switched on. Learn how to set up SMS Security in the NAB app or NAB Internet Banking. You also need to have Pay Anyone enabled.
- You can’t send an international funds transfer to or from a credit card account.
- You can check your international money transfer limit in the NAB app or through NAB Internet Banking. The default daily limit is $5,000. You can change this by calling us on 13 22 65 if you’re in Australia, or +61 3 8641 9083 if you’re overseas.
- There’s no limit on the number of international transfers you can make, as long as the total amount you’re transferring is under your daily limit.
- There is no fee for international money transfers sent via online banking when made in foreign currency. If you’re transferring Australian dollars the fee is $30.
- Before completing the transaction, you need to have enough money to cover both the fee and transaction amount.
- After you’ve made your international transfer, the funds are usually received within 24 hours by the payee’s bank.
- Learn more about payment processing times for international funds transfers.
Real-time exchange rates
A real-time exchange rate updates every 60 seconds based on the domestic and foreign currency value.
When you’re creating a real-time transfer in NAB Internet Banking, the first page of your transfer will still show you the indicative rate.
If you're making an international transfer from 7.30am Monday through to midnight Friday you'll usually see the real-time rate on the final page before you submit your transfer.
When real-time rates aren't available
Real-time rates aren't available:
- before Monday 7:30am and after Friday midnight
- on public holidays.
Real-time rates also aren't available for future-dated or periodic transfers because we use the exchange rate available on that day.
When real-time rates aren’t available, we will use the exchange rate available on the next business day. If you don’t have sufficient available funds at the time of processing, the payment may be rejected.
How to transfer money overseas
NAB Internet Banking
- Login to NAB Internet Banking with your NAB ID and password.
- Open the Transfer & Pay on the main menu and select ‘International transfer’ from the drop-down list.
- In the Account and payee details section
- Use the From drop down to select the account from which funds should be drawn.
- Use the To drop down for selecting or adding a payee
- In the Payee details section
- In nickname field type a nickname of the recipient.
- In the Name field type full account name of the payee.
- In the Address field, populate the address details of the payee. PO boxes are not accepted in this field.
- In the new mandatory Town or city field, populate the Town or city name of the payee. This field is limited to 35 characters.
- The total combined length of Payee Name, Address and Town Name must not exceed 134 characters.
- In the Country field, select the country of the recipient.
- In the mandatory Purpose of transfer field, enter a note to the recipient (limited to 100 characters).
- In the Payee's bank details section
- Select Payee's bank location from ‘Transfer Destination’ drop down. Where the required country is not available, you will need to send funds via a NAB branch.
- Populate the Account number or IBAN. For more information on IBANs click on the blue Helper text “What is an IBAN?”
- The SWIFT/BIC must be populated either through manual entry or by using the Retrieve SWIFT code (BIC) option when an IBAN is provided.
- Enter any other information like local routing codes, as available.
- Customers can choose to save the new payee or make a one off payment without saving the payee.
- Select Continue to go back to International transfer screen
- Important: Wherever possible, the Payee Bank's SWIFT/Bank Identifier Code (BIC) and IBAN should be used to prevent payment delays and potential additional Payee Bank charges.
- Important: Once you have saved your payee, it will appear in the ‘To/Choose a saved payee’ drop down list when making future international transfers in NAB Internet Banking.
- In the Transfer details section
- The form will automatically update to select local currency of recipient country - update where required.
- Enter the amount to send in either AUD or the local currency - the corresponding amount will be calculated automatically.
- An indicative foreign exchange rate will be displayed against these currencies. Once amount to be transferred is entered, total amount will be calculated.
- The form will pre-populate Purpose of the transfer field, modify where required (limited to 100 characters).
- In the Description for you field, enter a description that will appear on your statement. 16 characters are available.
- In the When section, select either ‘today’, ‘scheduled or a ‘recurring’ transaction and select the transfer date.
- Important: For periodic and future dated transfer, the current foreign exchange rate will be applied at the time the transaction is processed, and you will be notified via Secure Mail.
- In the Terms and conditions section
- Select the link to review the Terms and Conditions.
- Select the checkbox to indicate you are comfortable with the Terms and Conditions.
- Select Next to proceed to the confirmation.
- When necessary, a security pop-up will prompt you to confirm your identity. Simply enter the SMS security code and select Verify.
- On the Confirm transfer screen
- Confirm all details are correct and review the real time or indicative exchange rate shown on the screen
- Your real time foreign exchange rate will be valid for 60 seconds. After 30 seconds, a timer will display to highlight the time remaining.
- Select Accept rate and transfer to complete the transaction.
- Where a real time foreign exchange rate expires, select Refresh exchange rate to request an updated real time foreign exchange rate.
- The Transfer submitted screen will display with the details of your transaction. If you wish, you can print a copy of the transaction details for your records.
NAB app
- Log into the NAB app on your device.
- If using an Android phone, tap the Menu icon.
- Tap Pay.
- Choose the account you want to transfer money from.
- Tap Overseas.
- Use an existing payee if you have one or select New international payee.
- If transferring to a new payee, enter the payee’s account details. Use the beneficiary bank’s SWIFT-BIC code if possible.
- Enter the beneficiary bank’s account details and select Continue.
- Enter the payee’s full name and address into the fields.
- Select the country you’re transferring money to from the drop-down list. Select Continue.
- Select the preferred currency for the destination you’re transferring money to. You can use the search box to select another currency if you need to.
- Review the details you’ve entered. If they’re correct, select Save and continue.
- Confirm which account you want to make the payment from.
- Enter the amount you want to send in foreign currency or Australian Dollars.
- Enter a description of the transaction and a message to the payee.
- Choose a Payment date and Frequency if required.
- Select Continue to review the details of your payment.
- Review the payment details and exchange rate. Select Authorise payment.
NAB branch
Customers who aren’t registered for online banking can transfer money overseas by visiting a NAB branch or contacting their banker. When making an international funds transfer at a branch you’ll need to bring:
- your photo identification
- full name of the beneficiary receiving funds
- location the funds will be sent to
- street address of the beneficiary
- name of the receiving bank
- SWIFT code of the receiving bank
- beneficiary account number (if sending funds to Europe, we will require the IBAN number not the account number of the beneficiary).
| Cut-off (AEST/AEDT) | Country and currency |
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| 10:00am | Country and currency
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| 11:00am | Country and currency
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| 12:00pm | Country and currency
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| 1:00pm | Country and currency
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| 3:00pm | Country and currency
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| 5:00pm | Country and currency
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Countries you can send international funds transfers to
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- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- American Samoa
- Andorra
- Angola
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Aruba
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Belize
- Benin
- Bermuda
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Bouvet Island
- Brazil
- British Indian Ocean Territory
- Brunei Darussalam
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Cape Verde
- Cayman Islands
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Chile
- China
- Christmas Island
- Cocos Islands
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Congo
- Congo, Democratic Republic
- Cook Islands
- Costa Rica
- Cote D’Ivoire
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Djibouti
- Domenica
- Dominican Republic
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- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Estonia
- Ethiopia
- Falkland Islands
- Faroe Islands
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- French Guiana
- French Polynesia
- French Southern Territory
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Gibraltar
- Greece
- Greenland
- Grenada
- Guadeloupe
- Guam
- Guatemala
- Guernsey
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Heard and McDonald Islands
- Honduras
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Isle of Man
- Israel
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jersey
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Lao People’s Democratic Republic
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
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- Macao
- Macedonia
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Martinique
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mayotte
- Mexico
- Micronesia
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Montserrat
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Caledonia
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Niue
- Norfolk Island
- Northern Mariana Island
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Palestine
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Pitcairn
- Poland
- Portugal
- Puerto Rico
- Qatar
- Reunion
- Romania
- Russia
- Rwanda
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- Saint Helena
- Saint Lucia
- Samoa
- San Marino
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Pierre and Miquelon
- St Vincent
- Suriname
- Svalbard and Jan Mayen
- Swaziland
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Tokelau
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
- Uruguay
- US Minor Outlying Islands
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Vatican City
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Virgin Islands (GB)
- Virgin Islands (US)
- Wallis and Fortuna
- Western Sahara
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Additional information about transferring money overseas
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These are the cut-off times for your payment to be processed on the same day. If you submit your payment after these times it will be processed on the next business day.
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A SWIFT code is the international standard used to identify a bank. SWIFT stands for Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication.
A Bank Identifier Code (BIC) is also an international standard for identifying banks worldwide. It is also known as a SWIFT address. A BIC consists of a unique combination of letters and numbers in either 8 or 11 characters. This code identifies the bank’s name, the country it’s based in and the address of the branch.
When entering the beneficiary’s bank details, you’ll need to supply the BIC or SWIFT code. If you don’t know the code you need to supply the full name, street address and country of the beneficiary’s bank.
Learn about more SWIFT codes and BICS.
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IBAN stands for International Bank Account Number. An IBAN is used by many countries to identify a customer’s bank account. When you make an international transfer, you’ll need both an IBAN and a SWIFT code, or an account number and a SWIFT code.
An IBAN begins with a two-letter country code, followed by a combination of letters and numbers up to a maximum of 34 characters. The length of an IBAN will change based on the country. If you’re making a payment to a country that has adopted the IBAN, you need to supply it when making an international transfer. You should be able to obtain an IBAN from your beneficiary. Their bank can provide them with this upon request.
Here’s an example of an IBAN from the United Kingdom:
GB 19 LOYD 3096 1700 7099 43
In this IBAN:
- GB is the country code
- 19 is the check number
- LOYD 3096 is the bank
- 1700 7099 43 is the sort code and account number.
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You have the ability to set up periodic international funds transfers with the option to have your payment processed weekly, fortnightly, monthly, or quarterly.
You can also select a date (up to 18 months in advance) to send money overseas in the future. For both periodic and future dated international funds transfers, the foreign exchange rate at the time of the transaction will be applied and confirmed to you via secure email.
Fees for periodic or future dated transfers
When you create a periodical payment the fee will display as the standard fee. Fees will be charged at the time of processing.
For future dated payment you’ll be advised a fee at the time you create the payment. However, the fee charged at the time the payment is processed will be the lowest fee available on that day.
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If your beneficiary doesn’t receive the funds, or you want to trace, cancel or amend an online international funds transfer, you need to send a secure message through NAB Internet Banking with the full details of the transaction. We’ll begin an investigation once we receive your message.
You can learn more about locating payments by viewing our guides on receiving money overseas and payment transfers.
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We use trusted partner banks to send international payments. For mobile and internet banking transfers, even though we request partners do not deduct any additional fees, it may happen outside of our control. In this case, we’ll reimburse additional fees deducted by a partner bank.
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Terms and Conditions
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