Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, the Western Union “direct to bank account” service is an easy and convenient way to send funds directly to a receiver’s bank account in selected countries.

Select our Direct to bank account country information tool to discover in which countries this service is available. There you’ll find all the necessary information to complete a transfer directly to a bank account, as well as how long it takes for the money to be available in your receiver’s bank account, depending on the destination country.

Simply choose the Direct to bank account option when you send money online. You’ll need to provide the receiver’s bank account information. The required information varies from country to country, but it usually includes:

• Your receiver’s bank name and code
• Your receiver’s account name and number

Select our Direct to bank account country information tool to see which countries have this service available and what you will need.

A bank code is a series of numbers, used to identify banks around the world. It usually consists of between 3 to 23 digits, depending on the bank and the country.

You may also find a bank code referred to as:

• BSB
• SWIFT Code
• BIC (Bank Identification Code)
• CHIPS (Clearing House Inter-Bank Payment System) – US and Canada only
• NCC (National Clearing Code)
• BSC (Bank Sort Code)
• IFSC (Indian Financial System Code)

For some countries you may need an International Bank Account Number (IBAN) in addition to the bank code.

Ask your receiver for the bank code and IBAN (if applicable). You can refer to our Direct to bank account country information to see which details are required for each country.

A Bank Identification Code (BIC) is used to identify banks worldwide. A BIC is the same as a SWIFT code and will be 8 or 11 digits long.

Ask your receiver if BIC is required in their country. Check our Direct to bank account country information for more details.

An International Bank Account Number (IBAN) is a code used in some countries to identify a customer’s bank account. The IBAN has a letter to identify the country followed by 2 digits and then up to 35 characters for the bank account number. Some countries require that payment sent from Australia must include the IBAN.

You can refer to our Direct to bank account country information to see what details are needed for each country. Ask your receiver for the IBAN if it’s required.

The duration of ‘Direct to bank account’ money transfers varies from country to country. The process can take up to 5 days. For more details, please refer to our Direct to bank account country information.