Foreign Money Transfers

Now its easy to send money around the world

Are you buying a property overseas? Do you need to make mortgage payments to a foreign bank? Or perhaps you have children studying or travelling abroad and want to send them money?

More and more people now need to make payments abroad for a whole range of reasons.

Whatever your reason to transfer money overseas, we're here to help.

Powered by American Express

We're working with American Express to provide you with a quick and easy way to transfer foreign currency to bank accounts abroad.

Key features

Great choice
  • No minimum or maximum limits
  • Only £15 fee on sterling to foreign currency transfers.
  • Sterling to sterling transfers available for a £30 fee per transfer
    (NB. Most receiving banks charge a fee for receiving Sterling transfers. Unless it's necessary to use Sterling, it's usually more cost-effective to transfer funds into the receiving bank using designated currency of the beneficiary's bank account.)
  • Though most receiving banks don't charge to receive transfers for the designated currency of the beneficiary's bank account, some may charge a fee.
Competitive exchange rates

The exchange rates used are based on the foreign currency markets. Thanks to American Express' global purchasing power, you can be sure of getting good value for money and a trusted service.
Great service
  • The money is usually received two working days after the day we process the transaction.
  • Occasionally the transfer can take longer as there are many others factors involved, such as national holidays in the destination countries.
  • Once American Express® have processed your request, they will confirm:
    • The exchange rate
    • The currency type
    • The amount debited from your account.
  • American Express® will also email the person receiving the funds to let them know it's on its way if you provide their email address when you apply.

 

 

How To Make An Overseas Payment

It's simple.

1. If you are a UK resident:

Visit your local branch and complete a pdf icon Foreign Money Transfer form. You will need to have relevant name identification with you.

2. If you are a non-UK resident:

Complete a pdf icon Foreign Money Transfer form and post it, with a certified copy of your passport and account passbook (if applicable), to:

Customer Savings Department
Yorkshire Building Society
Yorkshire House
Yorkshire Drive
BD5 8LJ

Our processing team will deal with your request as quickly as possible. If it is received before 3pm it will be dealt with that day. Any requests after that time will be dealt with on the next working day. (Saturday does not count as a working day for this service.)

If you wish to know the exchange rate or Sterling value of the transfer before making an application please call into your local branch or call us on 0845 1200 100.

We can give you an indication of the likely value, but bear in mind that exchange rates change frequently and the actual exchange rate won?t be fixed until your application is processed.

Though most receiving banks don't charge to receive transfers for the designated currency of the beneficiary's bank account, some may charge a fee. If you need to send a specific amount, you may need to check with the receiving bank first.

 

Helpful tips for hassle-free transfers

The information you need to supply when making a transfer to a bank overseas varies from country to country.

  • A code to identify the name and branch of the bank where the account is held
  • The exact name and number of the account receiving your payment.

Bank codes

The code identifying the name of the bank and branch is often called a BIC (Bank Identifier Code), but may also be referred to as a SWIFT code. It will generally contain either 8 or 11 characters, the first 6 being letters of the alphabet.

International Bank Account Numbers (IBANs)

European banks (and many others) use International Bank Account Numbers (IBANs) to identify accounts. IBANs are made up of numbers and letters, and include the country code, the bank code and the account number. If an account does not have an IBAN, you will need to provide the account number.

Additional information

The following countries have specific requirements:

Country

What you need to supply
Thailand A reason for making the payment
Korea A reason for making the payment plus a contact telephone number for the person receiving the money
India An Indian Financial System Code (IFSC)* and the full postal address and PIN number (postal code) of the branch where the account is held
Canada A 9 digit transit code*
Australia A 6 digit BSB (Bank-State-Branch) code*
New Zealand A 6 digit bank code*
Israel A 2 digit bank code followed by a 3 digit branch code*
Mexico An 18 digit CLABE which includes both the routing and account numbers
USA A 9 digit ACH (also known as a Fedwire or ABA) number instead of a BIC

* These codes are written in front of the account number.

Occasionally, the person you are making the payment to may name an intermediary bank (that's a bank through which the payment will pass). You should include the name of this bank on your Foreign Currency Transfer application form.

Top Tip!

The more information you can provide, the more likely the payment will be received successfully without delay. It's always worth asking the person you're sending money to for as much detail as possible from their bank.

 

Next steps


Call us on 0845 1 200 100*

Got a question?

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Yorkshire Building Society is one of the largest building societies in the UK. We offer a range of financial products and services including: savings & investment accounts, insurance products, loans, mortgages and more.

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Yorkshire Building Society is a member of the Building Societies Association and is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. We are entered in the Financial Services Register under registration number 106085.

Any reference on this website or in our literature to the Financial Services Authority (FSA) should be deemed to mean the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA).