In order to send a SWIFT payment to BULGARIA it is highly recommended to meet the following recommendations:
Overview
Information provided by the Beneficiary: Remitter should obtain all required bank information from the Beneficiary (e.g., SWIFT BIC, IBAN, and beneficiary bank address). Central Bank: For additional information, please refer to www.bnb.bg.
Country Requirements/Restrictions
SEPA: Strict formatting standards and SEPA guidelines exist in Europe regarding cross-border payments. IBAN and SWIFT BIC are required for all euro payments. SEPA standards apply for euro payments to beneficiaries with accounts in Bulgaria.
Payment Formatting Rules for BGN
Ordering Customer (SWIFT MT103 F50): Include account number, full name (no initials), and address of the ordering customer. Use of initials can delay receipt of funds by the beneficiary.
Beneficiary Customer (SWIFT MT103 F59): Include account number (IBAN), full name (no initials), and address of the beneficiary customer. Use of initials may delay receipt of funds by the beneficiary. IBAN numbers for beneficiaries with accounts in Bulgaria must be included in the payment instructions.
Beneficiary Bank (SWIFT MT103 F57): Include SWIFT BIC with branch identifier (where required), full name, and address of the beneficiary bank.
SWIFT BIC is 8 or 11 alphanumeric characters: xxxxBGxx or xxxxBGxxxxx.
Reason for Payment (SWIFT MT103 F70): Purpose of payment is recommended. If the payment is for tax budgetary purposes, always state one of the following as well as the 6-digit payment type defined by the Ministry of Finance and local regulation. BULSTAT (Bulgarian Identification Tax Number) is a 6-digit number for the registration of a company. EGN is the personal identification number of the Bulgarian citizen. PNF is the personal number of the foreign citizen. IZL is the name of the legal entity or private individual’s full name.
For the following financial institutions in BULGARIA you can find a list of their correspondent banks with the currencies and nostro accounts. Also you will find an instructions how to track the payments and other useful information which will help you to send/receive a SWIFT funds transfer or investigate a status of existing payment.
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