The short answer

To send a SWIFT transfer to Thailand you need the recipient's full name exactly as on the account, the account number, the bank's SWIFT code (for example BKKBTHBK for Bangkok Bank) and usually the recipient's and bank's address. Thailand doesn't use IBANs.

Expect your UK bank's fee (from £0 to £25 at the big banks), an exchange-rate margin that is usually the biggest cost, and a Thai receiving fee of 0.25% capped at ฿500. Use SWIFT when the money must arrive as a formal foreign-currency remittance — property, large deposits — and compare a specialist provider for everything else.

SWIFT codes for the main Thai banks

The head-office SWIFT (BIC) codes for incoming international transfers. Always confirm the code with the account holder or the bank before you send.

SWIFT codes from published SWIFT code directories; receiving fees from Bangkok Bank, SCB and Krungsri tariffs (2026). At ฿44.38 = £1, ฿200 is £4.51 and ฿500 is £11.27.

The details you need

Ask the account holder — or your own Thai bank, if you're paying yourself — for these, ideally in writing or from the bank's own documents:

• Account name, exactly as the Thai bank has it. Foreign names are sometimes recorded differently from a passport; copy the bank's version.
• Account number, usually 10 digits for Thai savings accounts. No IBAN.
• Bank name and SWIFT code, such as KASITHBK for Kasikornbank.
• Branch name or address, which some UK banks still ask for.
• Recipient's address in Thailand.
• Purpose of payment, such as "retirement living expenses", "rent" or "purchase of condominium unit".
• A reference the recipient will recognise.

Sending a SWIFT transfer, step by step

1. Get two comparison quotes from specialist providers, so you know what a good result looks like in baht.
2. In your UK banking app, choose international payment, add a new payee and enter the Thai details.
3. Choose the currency. Sending baht means your UK bank converts; sending pounds means the Thai bank does. Compare the baht that will arrive.
4. Choose the charging option — usually SHA (shared). OUR costs more but should deliver the full amount.
5. Enter the purpose and reference, and check every detail against the bank's own document.
6. Approve and save the confirmation. Ask for the UETR tracking reference if it isn't shown.
7. Tell the recipient the amount, date and reference, so they can look out for it.
8. Check it arrived as an inward international transfer, and ask for a credit advice or FET form if you need one.

What UK banks charge for international payments

Published fees for non-euro international payments made online, with the exchange-rate margins where reported. The margin is usually the bigger cost.

Wise, "The best UK banks for sending money abroad" (17 August 2026, sources checked 13 August 2026). Wise is a competitor to these banks; confirm current fees and rates with your bank. Correspondent and receiving-bank charges may apply on top.

Pounds or baht? And SHA or OUR?

The charging option decides who pays the banks along the way: SHA shares them (the usual default), OUR means you pay everything so the recipient should get the full amount, and BEN means the recipient pays it all. For invoices, school fees or an exact deposit, OUR is worth the extra; for your own transfers, SHA is normally fine.

Our guide to GBP to THB exchange rates shows how to work out the margin in any rate you're offered.

Compare these before you send

Even when you plan to use SWIFT, a quote from these takes two minutes and tells you what a good deal looks like.

Large transfers: property, deposits and paperwork

Large transfers are where SWIFT earns its place — and where paperwork matters most.

• Condo purchases: the money must come into Thailand from abroad in foreign currency for a foreigner to register the unit. Keep the Thai bank's credit advice or Foreign Exchange Transaction (FET) form.
• From USD 50,000: banks such as SCB ask for supporting documents showing the purpose and a Foreign Currency Transaction Form.
• Tell your Thai bank in advance, and ask what rate it will give and what it needs from you.
• Tell your UK bank too. Large international payments trigger fraud checks; a call beforehand avoids a blocked payment.
• Negotiate the rate. On £100,000, a 1% better rate is £1,000 — worth a phone call to both banks and a specialist.
• Allow time. A week for anything with a deadline, more around bank holidays.

See our guide to Thai bank accounts for property buyers for the condo rules in detail.

Tracking your transfer

Every SWIFT payment carries a unique end-to-end transaction reference — the UETR. With it, any bank in the chain can see where your money is. Swift has reported that 40% of payments on its gpi service are credited within 30 minutes and 92% within 24 hours, but a transfer to Thailand normally takes one to five business days, counting holidays in both countries.

If it hasn't arrived after two business days beyond the expected date, ask your UK bank for a trace using the UETR, and ask the Thai bank whether the money is held pending information. Our guide to delayed international transfers explains exactly what to do.

Baht account or foreign currency account?

If you have both a baht savings account and a foreign currency deposit (FCD) account in Thailand, you choose where a SWIFT transfer lands — and it changes what happens to the money.

Give the sender the right account number for the account you want — the SWIFT code is the same for both. Our guide to multicurrency bank accounts for expats explains FCD accounts in detail.

SWIFT the other way: Thailand to the UK

Sending money from a Thai account to the UK uses the same network in reverse. Bangkok Bank lets foreigners do it from its mobile app for permitted purposes — repatriating income, education, travel, personal use, goods, services and gifts — without supporting documents, for ฿300 per transfer with shared charges (normally ฿400) or ฿1,050 with the overseas charges included. Transfers run from 08:30 to 17:00 on business days, up to ฿2,000,000 a day.

• You'll need the UK account's IBAN or sort code and account number, and the UK bank's SWIFT code.
• Choose the purpose carefully — the bank may ask for more information if it doesn't fit.
• Compare the rate. Baht leaving Thailand is converted at the bank's selling rate, with its own margin.
• Keep records showing where the money came from, especially for large sums such as condo sale proceeds.

When SWIFT is the right choice — and when it isn't

Eight mistakes that delay or cost money

1. A name that doesn't match the account, so the money is held for checks.
2. Looking for an IBAN — Thailand doesn't use them; use the account number and SWIFT code.
3. Accepting the first exchange rate on a large sum without a comparison.
4. Sending baht when you needed foreign currency for a condo purchase.
5. Missing the purpose, so the Thai bank asks questions later.
6. Sending just before a holiday in either country.
7. Not saving the confirmation and UETR.
8. Trusting bank details sent by email without confirming them by phone.

Protecting a big transfer

A large transfer is a target. Do it from a secure connection rather than hotel or café Wi-Fi, confirm the recipient's details by phone, and be wary of anyone who contacts you about the payment unexpectedly — especially with "new" bank details or a request for a fee to release the money. Our guide to payment scams covers the warning signs.

How we researched this guide

We used Wise's August 2026 comparison of UK banks' international payment fees and margins, Thai banks' published tariffs (Bangkok Bank, SCB and Krungsri, 2026), Bangkok Bank's London branch page, SCB's SWIFT inward page, SWIFT code directories for the Thai banks' codes, and Swift's published gpi figures. Fees, rates and requirements change; confirm with both banks before a large transfer. Checked 13 October 2026. This guide is general information, not financial advice.