International Payments
When you need to make an International Payment you want to be sure that it will reach the receiver efficiently and cost effectively.
For Business Customers you can make an International Payment in all major currencies to most destinations worldwide on a Standard or Urgent basis through iBB (Internet Business Banking). Click here to find out more.
To make an International Payment other than through iBB you must complete an Paylink or SEPA Credit Transfer paper application Form and post it to Allied Irish Bank (GB), 92 Ann Street, Belfast, BT1 3HH. You must hold an Allied Irish Bank (GB) account to complete a payment.
Please note these forms are updated from time to time. To ensure you are using the correct version, please download the form from our website on each occasion you wish to make an International Payment.
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Features and Benefits
- Dedicated specialist team to help you identify the best solutions for your business
- Payments can be made through iBusiness Banking (iBB) or by completing a Paylink or SEPA Credit Transfer paper application form and post to Allied Irish Bank (GB), 92 Ann Street, Belfast, BT1 3HH
- A wide range of international payment options, depending on the particular transaction, the urgency, the amount, and the level of remittance detail:
- Urgent payments (same day or next day value).
- Standard commercial payments (spot - 2 day value).
- Foreign currency drafts and cheques.
What do you need to do?
Read and review the International Payments Terms & Conditions
Print the Paylink or SEPA Credit Transfer application form and complete the form in BLOCK capitals
Please read through the completed Paylink or SEPA Credit Transfer application form to ensure all details are correct and sign to confirm your instruction and acceptance of the International Payment Terms & Conditions.
Post the form to Allied Irish Bank (GB), 92 Ann Street, Belfast, BT1 3HH. Where we allow, we may accept International Payment by Fax or Scanned instruction.
What happens next?
When the Paylink or SEPA Credit Transfer application form is received by us, a member of staff will check the details on the form to ensure all sections are completed fully.
The receiver account number must be in IBAN format for SEPA Credit Transfer instructions. Please refer to the below FAQ’s for further information on IBAN.
A member of staff may contact you to confirm the details of the payment.
An exchange rate may be applied to the payment. If the payment is in excess of £20,000, we will request a special exchange rate from our Treasury team. You will be advised of this rate, by telephone or in person, during confirmation of the payment.
You must ensure you have sufficient funds in your account to cover the payment and the charge. If there are not sufficient funds in your account the payment will not be sent.
What is the difference between and SEPA and International Payment?
Payment Type | Description | When to use | Fees and Charges |
SEPA Payment (Single Euro Payment Area) (SEPA form) |
This is a Euro payment made using the SEPA system Payments can take up to 2 working days to clear in the account |
Any euro payment going to the SEPA Zone* can go as a SEPA payment Note: if the Bank you are paying is not part of the SEPA scheme you will need to do an international payment |
See our fees & charges brochure |
International Payment (PayLink form) |
International Payment means transferring funds, in any currency, from or to an account to another account outside of the UK, or transferring funds from or to another account inside the UK in any currency other than Sterling. |
For payment which includes a foreign currency. | See our fees & charges brochure |
*for SEPA Zone countries see ‘Where can I send SEPA credit transfer payment to’
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What is an International Payment?
International Payment means transferring funds (Including SEPA Credit Transfer payments), in any currency, from or to an account to another account outside of the UK, or transferring funds from or to another account inside the UK in any currency other than Sterling.
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What is the difference between SEPA Payments and International Payments
Payment Type Description When to use Fees and Charges SEPA Payment
(Single Euro Payment Area)
(SEPA form)
This is a Euro payment made using the SEPA system
Payments can take up to 2 working days to clear in the account
Any euro payment going to the SEPA Zone* can go as a SEPA payment
Note: if the Bank you are paying is not part of the SEPA scheme you will need to do an international payment
See our fees & charges brochure International Payment
(PayLink form)
International Payment means transferring funds, in any currency, from or to an account to another account outside of the UK, or transferring funds from or to another account inside the UK in any currency other than Sterling.
For payment which includes a foreign currency. See our fees & charges brochure *for SEPA Zone countries see ‘Where can I send SEPA credit transfer payment to’
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What are the International Payment products available from Allied Irish Bank (GB)?
Allied Irish Bank (GB) provides three type of Outgoing International Payments. These are:
1. SEPA Credit Transfer
SEPA Credit Transfer payment is a single non-urgent Euro payment that is executed in accordance with the SEPA Scheme Rules. The Receiver’s bank must be SEPA reachable
2. Paylink
Paylink should be used for all other international payments. Paylink payments can be sent in all major currencies to most destinations worldwide as either standard or urgent.
3. Account Transfer FX
Account Transfer FX allows you to transfer funds between your own Currency Accounts and to or from your own Allied Irish Bank (GB) Bank Accounts located or administered in United Kingdom.
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What information do I need to make an International Payment?
- Your account details:
- NSC
- Account Number
- Receiver details:
- Know the Receiver’s full name and address;
- Acceptable Unique Identifiers for all payments are:
- IBAN of the Receiver and BIC of the Receiver’s Bank (mandatory for intra EEA payments); or
- Bank Account Number of the Receiver and Bank Code of the Receiver’s Bank or
- Bank Account Number of the Receiver and BIC of the Receiver’s Bank; or
- Bank Account Number of the Receiver, Receiver’s Bank and Receiver’s Bank full name and address or
- IBAN of the Receiver is mandatory for Euro SEPA payments
- Amount & currency
- An exchange rate may be applied to the payment. The payment will be sent at the exchange rate of the day the payment leaves your account. Click here to review todays rates.
- If the payment is over £20,000 a special rate will be provided
- Purpose
- Details of the purpose of the payment must be provided on all International Payments
- Your account details:
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What are the cut-off times for outgoing International Payments in Allied Irish Bank (GB)?
Cut off time for outgoing International Payments initiated using Paylink or SEPA Credit Transfer paper application form are
a) If we receive the payment application form before 3:30pm, we will process your payment the following Banking Day.
b) We will attempt to process a payment application form on the same Banking Day, if payment value is equal or greater than £ 20,000 and received by 11:30 am at our branch.
The cut-off times for outgoing International payments executed using electronic channels (for example our iBB service) are available on the relevant channels
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What is an International Bank Account Number (IBAN)?
The 'International Bank Account Number' or 'IBAN' is a standard for quoting account numbers across *EEA and certain Non-EEA countries. The use of an IBAN and the beneficiary bank BIC code (Bank Identifier Code) enables your International Payment to be made automatically and ensures the correct identification of your receiver's bank account.
*EEA Country = EU Member States and Norway Iceland and Liechtenstein.
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What is a Bank Identifier Code (BIC)?
The Bank Identifier Code (BIC), is a unique identification code for a specific financial institution. BIC codes consist of either 8 or 11 alphanumeric characters.
Allied Irish Bank (GB) Bank’s BIC is AIBKGB2L
Based on payment instructions together with the receiver's International Bank Account Number (IBAN), the BIC facilitates streamlined processing of International payments.
BIC codes consist of either 8 or 11 alphanumeric characters.
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IBAN Mandatory countries for international payments
The receiver account number must be in IBAN format for international payments to EEA countries and certain Non-EEA countries. Please click here, for list of IBAN mandatory countries.
We recommend that the IBAN is used in conjunction with the BIC of the receiver's bank to ensure correct identification of the receiver's bank branch and their account number within that branch. For further detailed information on country specific formatting requirements, please click here.
Please contact the receiver in these countries to obtain their correct IBAN account information and BIC details before initiating any payments.
Note: Failure to provide IBAN account information for payments to these countries may result in your payment being delayed, cancelled or returned by the receiver's bank.
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What is the cost for completing an International Payment?
Please see the Customer Treasury Services - Schedule of Charges.
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How long does it take for an International Payment to be received?
Where we accept a payment instruction, we will ensure that the recipient’s financial services provider is paid within the following timeframes (assuming we have received a completed instruction before the relevant cut-off time on a Banking Day):
Type of payment
How long before it will reach the recipient’s financial services provider
Payments in Euro to any EEA country.
Minimum of same Banking Day and at the latest by the end of the next Banking Day after we receive the payment instruction. This time limit may be extended by a further Banking Day where you initiate a payment by using a paper form.
Payments in any other EEA currency within the EEA.
Minimum of same Banking Day and at the latest by the end of the fourth Banking Day after we receive the payment instruction.
All other payments.
This varies depending on the currency or the country you are sending the payment to (or both). We will take reasonable steps to ensure that your instructions are carried out in a timely manner. Any timeframe that we give you will be indicative only and we do not guarantee that it will be met in every case.
*EEA Country = EU Member States and Norway Iceland and Liechtenstein.
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Who pays the Charges for International payment?
Charges for International Payments are shared, so you pay the Allied Irish Bank (GB) Charge and the receiver pays charges of all other banks.
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What exchange rate is applied to an International Payment?
An exchange rate is applied to an International Payment, when the currency of the payment is different to the currency of the debit or credit account. Please click here, for Standard exchange rates which are applicable on the relevant business day. These variable exchange rates are subject to change at any time.
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Where can I send SEPA Credit Transfer payments to?
SEPA Credit transfer payments can be sent to any SEPA zone country. A full listing of applicable SEPA zone countries is provided in the following table
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Republic of Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovak Republic
Slovenia
Spain Sweden Switzerland
UK
There are a number of additional SEPA zone territories where Paylink Euro may be sent. They include Åland Islands, Andorra, Azores, Canary Islands, French Guiana, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Madeira, Martinique, Mayotte, Monaco, Reunion, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, San Marino and Vatican City. These tend to change periodically.
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What are the cut-off times for Incoming International Payments?
The below cut-off times, applies to Incoming International payment received on a Banking Day.
Currency Code Currency Name
Cut-Off Time
AED
United Arab Emirates Dirham
13:30
AUD
Australian Dollars
14:30
CAD
Canadian Dollars
14:00
CHF
Swiss Franc
15:00
CZK
Czech Koruna
15:00
DKK
Danish Krone
15:00
EUR
Euro via SEPA Scheme
15:45
EUR
Euro
15:30
GBP
GB Pound Sterling
15:45
HKD
Hong Kong Dollars
12:30
HUF
Hungarian Forints
15:00
ILS
Israeli New Shekel
13:30
INR
Indian Rupee
13:30
JPY
Japanese Yen
14:30
KWD
Kuwaiti Dinar
13.30
MXN
Mexican Peso
15:30
NOK
Norwegian Krone
15:00
NZD
New Zealand Dollars
14:30
PHP
Philippines Peso
11:30
PLN
Polish Zlotys
15:00
QAR
Qatari Rial
13:30
SAR
Saudi Riyals
13:30
SGD
Singapore Dollars
12:30
SEK
Swedish Krona
15:00
THB
Thai Bahts
15:30
TRY
Turkish Lira
14:00
USD
US Dollars
15:30
ZAR
South African Rands
14:30 -
How will SEPA and International payments and fees appear on your ledger and account statements?
The changes will be introduced on a phased basis from July 2020
Outgoing Payment Reference
For outgoing SEPA & International payments where a processing fee is associated with the payment, this will be posted as a separate debit on your account ledger. The AIB payment reference will appear as GBXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Example:
L1: GBXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 0.00 (Payment Amount)
L2: Debit narrative
L1: GBXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 0.00 (Payment Fee)
L2: PYMT FEE *
(* is a Pricing Code as outlined in our Schedule of Charges for that Payment type)
Incoming Payment Reference
The payment fee for incoming International payments will continue to be posted as a separate debit on your ledger, however the payment reference will now appear as GBXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Example:
L1: GBXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 0.00 (Payment Amount)
L2: Remitter Name
L1: GBXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 0.00 (Payment Fee)
L2: PYMT FEE *
(* is a Pricing Code as outlined in our Schedule of Charges for that Payment type)
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Glossary of terms
- The SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) is a European wide initiative to standardise the way we make and process electronic payments in Euro. The goal is to make payments throughout Europe as fast, safe and efficient as our national payment system executes today.
- NSC stands for national sorting code. This is a six digit code used to identify a particular bank and branch.
- SWIFT means the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication.
- The SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) is a European wide initiative to standardise the way we make and process electronic payments in Euro. The goal is to make payments throughout Europe as fast, safe and efficient as our national payment system executes today.
Help and Guidance
Help Centre
For all service related queries please visit our Help Centre.
Talk to Us
Simply call +44 (0)345 600 5204† and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have about applying for Asset Finance with Allied Irish Bank (GB).
† Lines open: 9am to 5pm Monday - Friday (except on bank holidays). Calls may be recorded. Call charges may vary - refer to your service provider.
You can write to us at:
Allied Irish Bank (GB)
92 Ann Street
Belfast
BT1 3HH