Send money outside the UK or in a foreign currency

You can do this online

  • Fee free euro payments. Other charges may apply.
  • Simple repeat payments, up to £100,000.
  • Over 30 currencies to choose from.

Bank of Scotland will never tell you to :

  • move money to another account 
  • move your money or ask you to transfer funds to a new sort code and account number.

Find out how to keep your money safe 

  • Sending money to the EEA and UK

    • The recipient's full name and address.
    • The recipient's IBAN.IBAN is an International Bank Account Number
    • The recipient's Swift/BIC.Swift or BIC is Bank Identifier Code.

    Sending money to the rest of the world

    • The recipient's full name and address.
    • The recipient's IBAN.IBAN is an International Bank Account Number
    • The recipient's Swift/BIC.Swift or BIC is Bank Identifier Code.
    • Name and address of the recipients bank.
    • Clearing code.Some banks need a clearing code to find a branch or business area of the recipients account.
    • Reason for your payment.

    Before sending money outside of the UK...

    Before sending money outside of the UK...

    Please make sure you’re sending it to someone you know, or have looked into and trust. 

    If a payment turns out to be fraudulent It’s very hard for you to get your money back. This is because paying directly into a bank account is like handing over cash – which is hard to trace. 

How to do it

How to do it

We'll take it step by step.

    1. Log in and select More actions from your account. 
    2. Choose Payments and transfers. Then select Send money outside the UK.
    3. If you're sending money to someone you've paid before, choose Select an international recipient. Then select their details from the list. if you’re paying someone for the first time, select Pay someone new. Choose the country from the list, then enter the recipient's details.
    4. Enter how much currency you'd like to send.  If you want to change the currency, select the flag icon and choose a new currency.
    5. Select Continue to review the payment details. 
    6. Select Confirm Payment to complete the payment request. We might ask you to enter your password. If you're sending money to a somebody new, we'll do some extra security checks.
  1. Log in and select the More menu from your account.  Then choose Send money outside the UK.
  2. If you're sending money to someone you've paid before, choose Select an international recipient. Then select their details from the list. If you’re paying someone for the first time, select Pay someone new. Choose the country from the list, then enter the recipient's details.
  3. Enter how much currency you'd like to send.  If you want to change the currency, select the flag icon and choose a new currency.
  4. Select Continue to review the payment details. 
  5. Select Confirm Payment to complete the payment request. We might ask you to enter your password. If you're sending money to a somebody new, we'll do some extra security checks

Getting started online

Mobile Banking app

  • Join our 1 million app users
  • Simple and secure log in.
  • Set up handy notifications.

 

More about our app

Internet Banking

Log in to view or manage your accounts on our website.

 

Log in to Internet Banking

Register


Mobile Banking app

  • Join our 1 million app users
  • Simple and secure log in.
  • Set up handy notifications.
Download our app

Internet Banking

Log in to view or manage your accounts on our website.

Log in to Internet Banking

Register

A look at the details

  • You can make payments up to the following amounts: 

    Channel

    Limit

    Channel

    Online

    Limit

    Send up to Â£100,000 a day through Internet Banking.

    Channel

    In branch

    Limit

    There is no maximum limit.

    Channel

    Telephone banking

    Limit

    Send up to Â£10,000 a day through Telephone Banking.

    The minimum payment amount is £1.01, no matter how you make the payment. 

  • Our fees

    Type of payment

    Fee

    Type of payment

    Payments in euros from your account.

    Fee

    No fee.

    Type of payment

    All other payments from your account.

    Fee

    £9.50**

    **This fee won't apply to payments sent in pounds from our Basic Account.

    Other fees

    When you send money using online banking or our app, the payment will always be sent using the shared charging option. This means you’ll only pay our £9.50 fee and the person you’re sending money to will pay any other fees. This could include money deducted from the payment by an agent bank and the bank you’re sending money to.

    For payments made in branch or over the phone and being sent outside the UK or EEA, you can arrange for the full amount to be received by the recipient’s bank. Please note, the recipient’s bank may still charge a fee before they pay the money into the recipient’s account. To send a payment this way in branch or over the phone, you’d pay our £9.50 fee and the Correspondent Bank fee shown below. 

    Correspondent Bank Fee

    • Zone 1 (USA, Canada and Europe (non-EEA)) - £12.
    • Zone 2 (Rest of the world) - £20.
  • You can use the online payment calculator to see our standard exchange rate, which may change depending on how much you send.

    If you enter an amount without selecting a recipient or without entering a new recipient, we’ll only show you a payment illustration.

    If you select a recipient or enter a new recipient first, you can continue your payment with the exchange rate displayed.

    We’ll show you the final payment details and exchange rate before you confirm your payment. 

    Our standard exchange rate includes a margin which you can see by using our margin calculator. The margin changes depending on how much you send.

    The margin is the difference between our standard exchange rate and the wholesale rate at which we buy and sell currency in the foreign exchange markets. 

    Margin calculator

    This calculator indicates the margin we apply when you send money outside the UK or in a foreign currency.
     

    I would like to send a payment of:

    £

    Payment margin:
    ##margin##%

    For example:

    You need to make a payment of €1,000 to Spain. If the current GBP/EUR wholesale rate is 1.1900, the Bank of Scotland standard exchange rate applied to your payment would be 1.1478. This is based on our current margin of 3.55%. In this example, you’ll pay £871.23 to send €1000 to Spain.

    Please note that a live wholesale rate is used to calculate the standard exchange rate. Together with the percentages outlined in the previous table, the information is indicative, for information only and can change at any time. 

    Payment Value in GBP

    Current margin for sending money outside the UK or in a foreign currency

    Payment Value in GBP

    0 - £10,000

    Current margin for sending money outside the UK or in a foreign currency

    3.55%

    Payment Value in GBP

    £10,000 - £50,000

    Current margin for sending money outside the UK or in a foreign currency

    3.55% - 2.40%

    Payment Value in GBP

    £50,000 - £100,000

    Current margin for sending money outside the UK or in a foreign currency

    2.40% - 2.10%

    Payment Value in GBP

    £100,000 - £250,000

    Current margin for sending money outside the UK or in a foreign currency

    2.10% - 1.50%

    Payment Value in GBP

    £250,000 and above

    Current margin for sending money outside the UK or in a foreign currency

    1.50%

  • You can send payments overseas in pounds.

    Please be aware that most bank accounts are held in the currency of that country. For example, Canadian dollar accounts in Canada. This means the recipient bank would have to change a payment into foreign currency to be able to pay it into the recipient’s account. 

    If you send pounds, you may not know what exchange rate will be used by the receiving bank when the money arrives or exactly how much money the recipient will get.  If we convert your payment into foreign currency before you send it, we’ll tell you our exchange rate at the time you request your payment. This means you'll know exactly how much foreign currency is being sent even if you make your payment request after the cut-off time. 

    If the account overseas is in pounds, you have a special arrangement to send pounds or you would just prefer to, then you should send it in pounds.

  • You can make a payment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but we'll only process it during normal banking hours.

    When the money will leave your account

    Money will only be taken from your account once we've processed your payment.

    • If you make your request before 3pm on a working day, the payment will be made the same day.
    • If you make a payment in euros in branch or over the phone,  there may be an earlier cut off time of 2pm.
    • We process requests made after 3pm on the next working day.
    • We process requests made on bank holidays and weekends on the next working day.

    For example, if you request the payment at 3:30pm on a Friday, we won't process it until the following Monday.

    Please make sure you keep enough money in your account to cover your payment amount. Otherwise we won’t be able to make the payment and it'll be cancelled. Also be aware of any other payments due that day which will reduce your balance such as Direct Debits, standing orders and debit card payments. 

    When the money will reach the recipient

    The following table gives you information about the time the payment will take to reach the recipient's bank. These timescales apply if you've requested the payment on a working day before the cut off time:

    Currency and destination

    Delivery times

    Currency and destination

    Payments in euros to the UK, an EEA country, Monaco, Switzerland or San Marino

    Delivery times

    No later than the next working day

    Currency and destination

    Payments in any other EEA currency / pounds / Swiss francs to another EEA country

    Delivery times

    No later than four working days

    Currency and destination

    Any currency to North America, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Middle East and the Far East

    Delivery times

    Should take no longer than four working days

    Currency and destination

    Any currency to any other country

    Delivery times

    Should take no longer than five working days

  • Please call the International Helpdesk as soon as possible. We can talk you through your options. We won’t charge you a fee, but other banks involved may do.

  • Please call the International Helpdesk.

    We can’t guarantee that we’ll be able to cancel the payment. If we are able to cancel it for you, you may lose money through the differences in exchange rates.

  • Please make sure you’ve allowed enough time to pass before calling the International Helpdesk. Monday – Friday, 8.30am – 5.15pm.

    They can review the Payment Tracking system and talk you through your options. Please be aware that if we need to trace your payment, we won’t charge you a fee but other banks involved may do.

  • If you think you've been scammed, please get in touch with us. We can then guide you on what to do next. 
     

  • IBAN and BICs are details that help banks identify the correct account when money is sent internationally. They're mandatory in certain countries.

    What is an IBAN?

    IBAN stands for ‘International Bank Account Number.’ An IBAN identifies a specific bank account. Each country has a different number of characters in their IBANs.

    This is an example of an IBAN for the United Kingdom:

    GB29NWBK60161331926819.

    Which countries do I need a BIC/SWIFT and an IBAN for?

    We need you to give us a BIC/SWIFT and IBAN when sending payments to the following countries:

    All EU and EEA countries:

    Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden

    As well as the following countries:

    Albania, Andorra, Bahrain, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Gibraltar, Greenland, Isle of Man, Israel, Jordan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lebanon, Macedonia, Montenegro, Moldova, Monaco, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and United Arab Emirates.

More help with International payments

Make payments to and receive money from outside the UK and in foreign currencies.

Read our guides

More help with International payments

Make payments to and receive money from outside the UK and in foreign currencies.

Read our guides