International payments

It is easy and secure to make payments outside Finland through OP. You can make international payments worldwide on the op.fi service, in the company’s bank connection software and OP Corporate Hub. SEPA credit transfers can also be made conveniently on OP-mobile. Select the suitable payment type and service and read the more detailed instructions for international payment.

OP has speeded up the transfer of international payments. Incoming and outgoing international payments are transferred from payer to payee on the same day between the banks participating in the service. This doesn’t require any action by our customers – OP automatically sends all international payments meeting the set criteria faster, at the price of a payment instruction in accordance with the swift gpi service promise.

1. Select the type of international payment

You can make an international payment as a SEPA credit transfer outside Finland, as a euro payment outside the SEPA nearly anywhere in the world or as a non-euro payment. Non-euro payments are mainly made to countries with a currency other than the euro or when it has been agreed that the transaction is carried out in a specific currency.

SEPA credit transfer outside Finland

You can make SEPA credit transfers outside Finland in all OP channels: on OP-mobile and the op.fi online service, in the company’s bank connection software and OP Corporate Hub. SEPA credit transfers are transferred in euros to SEPA countries. Both the payer and the payee only pay their own bank’s charges (payment’s charge bearer code is SHA). SEPA credit transfers are free of charge for personal customers.

If the receiving bank accepts faster SEPA instant credit transfers and the payment amounts to less than 100,000 euros, the payment is usually transferred to the payee within seconds as a SEPA instant credit transfer. Otherwise, the payment is credited to the payee on the following banking day at the latest.

Euro payment outside the SEPA

You can make euro payments nearly anywhere in the world through OP. We comply with international sanctions and do not transfer payments to countries subject to sanctions (such as North Korea).

You can make euro payments outside the SEPA on the op.fi service, in the company’s bank connection software and OP Corporate Hub.

If you make a payment to a country with a currency other than the euro, then the receiving bank will typically convert the payment into the country’s local currency, corresponding with the currency of the payee’s account.

If the payment’s currency has not been agreed with the payee, it is advisable to always make the payment in the receiving country’s local currency. In that case, you will get an estimate of the payment’s exchange rate before the payment is executed.

If you have regular payments in some currency, you may consider opening a currency account.

We also offer exchange rate converter tools for companies making regular currency payments with which a payment’s exact exchange rate can be determined in advance.

When paying in euros outside the SEPA, you also need to select the charge bearer code used in international payments. The alternatives include SHA, OUR and BEN.

The most typical charge bearer code is SHA, which means that both you and the payee only pay your own bank’s charges.

The second most common charge bearer code is OUR. In this case, you pay more charges so that the receiving bank would not deduct charges from the payment amount. The OUR charge bearer code is typically used when paying foreign taxes.

The rarest charge bearer code is BEN. When used, OP deducts a charge from the payment amount and the receiving bank does the same.

If thereceiving bank is a GPI bank, like OP, your euro payment is usually transferred to the payee on the same day. Otherwise, your payment is usually credited to the European Economic Area on the following day and elsewhere in the world usually after two days. The processing of the payment can be delayed by local public holidays and so-called cut-off times, for example.

Non-euro payment

Non-euro payments are mainly made to countries with a currency other than the euro or when it has been agreed that the transaction is carried out in a specific currency.

If a payment is made from a euro account, you get an estimate of the payment‘s exchange rate from the op.fi online service and OP Corporate Hub before its transfer. If your company has made a foreign exchange transaction for a payment in advance using an exchange rate converter tool, like OP EFX, your payment is transferred at that rate.

If the receiving bank is a GPI bank, like OP, your payment in EUR, USD, GBP, SEK or NOK is usually transferred to the payee on the same day. Otherwise, your payment is usually credited to the European Economic Area on the following day and elsewhere in the world usually in two days’ time. The processing of the payment can be delayed by local public holidays and so-called cut-off times, for example. If needed, you can speed up the crediting of the payment to the payee within cut-off times by selecting urgent payment order on the op.fi online service, in OP Corporate Hub or the bank connection software. Companies can also select the so-called zero value date payment in the bank connection software, in which case the payment is credited to the payee at best already on the same day.

2. How to make an international payment

You can make an international payment on the op.fi online service, in OP Corporate Hub or the company’s bank connection software. You can make a SEPA credit transfer outside Finland also on OP-mobile.

Select the account from which you want to make a payment.
Select a new payment.
Enter the payee's account number and name.
Enter the payee's address.
Enter the BIC (SWIFT address) of the payee's bank or the clearing code. If you select the clearing code, enter the name and address of the payee’s bank.
Select the country of the payee's bank.
Select either normal payment order or urgent payment order as the payment method. If you select normal payment order, the payment is usually transferred to the payee on the same day if the receiving bank is a GPI bank and the payment is in one of the following currencies: EUR, GBP, USD, SEK, NOK, CHF, PLN, DKK or CAD. Otherwise, the payment is transferred in 1–5 days. If you select urgent payment order, the payment is transferred on the next day.
Select charges. Unless otherwise agreed, select SHA, in which case you and the payee both pay your own bank’s charges.
Enter the amount and select the currency of the payment.
Fill in the other required fields and confirm the payment.

3. Take note of country-specific instructionst

Check the country-specific instructions if you have not made payments to the country in question before. Be particularly careful with payments to China and Russia and in USD, as the smallest flaws in the payment will result in the returning or rejection of the payment, which will incur charges.

How to receive payments from abroad

If you want to receive payments from abroad, remember to provide the payer with the following information:

1. Your name and address

2. Your IBAN account number, which starts with FI and is 18 characters long

3. OP’s SWIFT, or BIC code: OKOYFIHH

4. Bank’s name: OP Corporate Bank Plc

5. Bank’s address: Gebhardinaukio 1, FI-00510 Helsinki, Finland

Editing a payment

Once the payment has been debited from the account, it will show in the Transactions feed on OP-mobile and the op.fi online service. There may be some delay, in which case the debiting of the payment will show in your Transactions feed on the next banking day or the possible due date at the latest.

Once the payment has been debited or a foreign exchange transaction has been made, the payment cannot be cancelled or edited without charges. Additional information on the deleting, cancelling or editing of a payment and on questions related to a payment’s status is available from Corporate and Payment Services at 0100 05151.