SWIFT Deliverability

Requirements for compliance documents and beneficiary address formatting that maximize the chance a SWIFT transfer is delivered.

Summary

SWIFT is the global payment network BlindPay uses to send and receive money internationally, processed exclusively through tier 1 banks. To maximize deliverability, every B2B SWIFT payment requires a compliance document proving the relationship between sender and customer, and beneficiary addresses must follow strict formatting rules with a 140-character limit. Documents that fail to establish the sender-customer relationship cause the payment to be rejected.

Compliance Documentation

Every B2B payment sent through SWIFT requires a transaction document showing the relationship between the sender and the customer.

BlindPay accepts the following transaction documents:

Important: If the document doesn't show the relationship between the sender and the customer, the payment will be rejected.

To submit transaction documents via the API and track their review status, see the SWIFT Statuses guide.

How to Add a SWIFT Account

  1. In your instance, open Customers from the sidebar menu and select the customer you want to register the SWIFT account for.
  2. Open Bank Accounts, then in Add Bank Account select the payment method International Swift. You can also add bank accounts via the API.
  3. Enter the SWIFT account details:
    • Fill in all fields in UPPERCASE only
    • Use plain text only — no punctuation (no commas, periods, or special characters)
    • Correct: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK NA SINGAPORE
    • Incorrect: J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., Singapore.
  4. If the SWIFT code has only 8 characters, append XXX:
    • CHASSGSG becomes CHASSGSGXXX
    • This routes communication directly to the bank's main branch.
  5. Click Create. The SWIFT account is now linked to that customer.

Beneficiary Address Requirements

To ensure successful processing of SWIFT payments, addresses must follow strict formatting rules. All address elements combined must not exceed 140 characters.

Address Structure

A complete SWIFT-compatible address consists of:

  1. Address Line 1 - Street name, building number, or primary physical location
  2. Address Line 2 - Additional location details (office, apartment, room, floor)
  3. City - Name of the city or municipality
  4. State / Province Code - ISO-style two-character state or region abbreviation
  5. Postal Code - National postal identifier
  6. Country Code - ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code

Field Requirements

FieldRequirementExample
Address Line 1Max 70 characters combined with Addr2. Main street/building only. No P.O. Boxes unless the receiving bank explicitly allows them.123 Gran Via Building A
Address Line 2Max 70 characters combined with Addr1. Secondary details only (unit, suite, floor, block).Suite 405
CityMax 35 characters. Full city name, not abbreviations unless the official name is abbreviated.Madrid
State / Province CodeExactly 2 characters. If the country has no states/provinces, repeat the 2-letter country code.US → CA, ES → ES
Postal CodeMax 16 characters. All-numeric or alphanumeric. No special symbols. HK → 999077, UAE → 00000.US 94105, UK M4A1B3
Country CodeExactly 2 letters, ISO 3166-1 alpha-2.ES

Example: Correctly Formatted Address

text

Full combined output (must be ≤ 140 chars): 123 Gran Via Bldg A Suite 405 Madrid ES 28013 ES (59 characters)

Example: Converting a Long Address

Original address (too long for SWIFT):

text

Converted SWIFT-compatible version:

text

Full combined output: Bldg 12 Zone C Longhua Sci-Tech Ind Park Minzhi St Shenzhen CN 518131 CN (95 characters)

Address Submission Checklist

Before submitting an address, verify:

  • Addr1 + Addr2 ≤ 70 characters
  • City ≤ 35 characters
  • State is exactly 2 letters
  • Postal code ≤ 16 alphanumeric characters
  • Country is exactly 2 letters
  • Entire address ≤ 140 characters
  • Address contains no unsupported symbols
Questions? Reach our team at support@blindpay.com.