Making an International Wire Transfer In Person

1.Call your bank to confirm they do wire transfers in person. Most major banks are able to process wire transfers in person at a branch location. However, you should confirm with your bank that they do this in person service.

2.Bring in the recipient’s banking information. To process the international wire transfer, you will need to show the banking attendant the following information:

The full name and address of the recipient’s bank.

The recipient’s name, address, and account name (savings, checkings, money mart, etc).

The recipient’s account number, or International Bank Account Number (IBAN). Your recipient should be able to get this information from their bank, or from their banking statement. The recipient’s account number will depend on where their bank is located in the world. For example, an account number at a Canadian bank will appear differently than an account number at an Australian bank.

The recipient’s bank’s SWIFT/BIC code. Your bank will require the recipient’s bank’s SWIFT/BIC code in order to identify which bank they are transferring your money to. The recipient should be able to get their bank’s SWIFT/BIC code by asking their bank for this information. Your bank may also be able to locate the recipient’s SWIFT/BIC code based on the recipient’s account information.

3.Ask the bank teller to walk your through the wire transfer process. The teller should take the recipient’s information from you and ask you a series of questions to complete the wire transfer. You will need to confirm:

The currency in which you are sending the funds to the recipient.
The account from which you are sending the funds to the recipient.
The amount of funds you are transferring to the recipient.
Most banks encourage you to transfer money in the currency of the recipient’s country. However, if you are not sure where the recipient is located or what currency the recipient would like the funds in, you can send the amount in U.S. or Canadian dollars.

4.Pay the international wire transfer fee. Most banks charge an international wire transfer fee ranging from $40-$50 per transfer. A list of fees for the top 10 U.S. banks can be found here. Ask your teller to confirm the fee amount before you complete the transfer.

The receiving bank may also charge a small fee to process the wire transfer, ranging from $10-$20. The recipient of the transfer can ask their bank about the exact fee for receiving and processing a wire transfer. The recipient would then pay the processing fee for their bank to process the transfer.

5.Check how long it will take for the wire transfer to go through. Once the teller completes the wire transfer process, she should let you know how long it will take for the bank to process the wire transfer and for the recipient to receive the funds. Most banks estimate between one to two days for international wire transfers to go through.

6.Consider an international wire transfer through outside services. If you are concerned about your bank’s fee for international wire transfers, you can go through another wiring service like Western Union. The fees from Western Union are usually less than the fees charged by your bank, around $10-$15 per transfer. But the transfer may take more time if you use an outside service like Western Union instead of your bank.