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🇨🇦 Sending to Canada

CA · CAN · +1 · North America

CAD

National format   SWIFT BIC required

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Required information

  • Account number

    7-12 digits typical; system allows 1-31 characters (no fixed length).

  • SWIFT BIC

    Beneficiary bank BIC (8 or 11 characters).

  • Canadian Payments Association Routing Number

    9 digits (5-digit branch transit + 3-digit institution number; printed on cheques as "[5 digits]-[3 digits]" or "0[8 digits]")

  • Purpose-of-payment code (strongly advised)

    ISO 20022 standard codes acceptable; clearly identify economic reason.

  • Beneficiary full name

    Spelled out exactly as registered at the bank. No initials or abbreviations.

  • Beneficiary address

    Match the address template — partial addresses cause holds.

For your end users

Canada: For CAD wires, use the Canadian SWIFT BIC (not the bank's US BIC). Provide the 5-digit branch transit number and 3-digit institution number.

Real-Time Alternative

Real-Time Rail (in development; Interac e-Transfer for retail)

Last reviewed by GIB compliance on 2026-05-19. Reference material only.

  • Currency

    CAD

  • Typical settlement

    1 business day for CAD; 1-2 days for international.

  • SWIFT BIC

    Required

  • Local clearing

    Lynx (formerly LVTS)

Account format

How beneficiary account numbers are structured for Canada. Failure to match this format is the single most common reason wires are rejected at the destination.

Field Value
Format tier National format
Length 7-12 digits typical; system allows 1-31 characters (no fixed length).

Routing identifiers

Which routing codes the wire-creation API call must include for Canada.

Field Value
SWIFT BIC Required
Branch identifier Required
Canadian Payments Association Routing Number Required
Format 9 digits (5-digit branch transit + 3-digit institution number; printed on cheques as "[5 digits]-[3 digits]" or "0[8 digits]")
Directory ↗ Source
Local clearing Lynx (formerly LVTS)

Address format

How Canada expects the beneficiary address to appear on the wire. Free-form variations frequently trigger compliance holds.

  1. Full Name
  2. Neighborhood/Area (optional)
  3. Street Number + Street Name + Unit/Apt
  4. City + Province Abbreviation + Postal Code
Field Value
Postal code Optional — validated against the format below when provided
Postal code regex ^([ABCEGHJKLMNPRSTVXY]\d[ABCEGHJKLMNPRSTVWXYZ])\ {0,1}(\d[ABCEGHJKLMNPRSTVWXYZ]\d)$
Example John Smith
10305 154 Ave Grande Prairie,
AB T8X 0J6
CAN

Counterparty fields

Party details the destination expects on the beneficiary. Mandatory fields are required by the destination; recommended fields reduce the chance of a delay or return.

Recommended:

  • Local bank code (CdtrAgt/FinInstnId/ClrSysMmbId/MmbId) — 9-digit Canadian Payments Association Routing Number

Purpose of payment

Put a code from the ISO 20022 list in <Purp><Cd> (purpose_code). Requirement: Highly recommended GIB check: a missing or unexpected purpose is reported as a validation warning; the wire is not held.

Not yet confirmed

We have not yet confirmed this country's purpose-of-payment requirement against a central-bank or correspondent-bank source. Including a purpose is recommended. We update these guides as we confirm each country.

Field Value
Code format ISO 20022 standard codes acceptable; clearly identify economic reason.

Remittance info

Extra content the regulator requires inside the free-text remittance field, beyond the purpose-of-payment code.

Clearly identify economic reason (e.g., rent, salary, utilities).

Operational notes

Field Value
Currencies accepted CAD, USD
Typical settlement 1 business day for CAD; 1-2 days for international.
Banking holidays ↗ Calendar

Known issues:

  • Use the Canadian SWIFT BIC; do NOT use US BICs (e.g., BOFAUS3N, CHASUS33, PNBPUS3N) for CAD wires even if the bank operates in both countries.
  • Account numbers have no predetermined length - system should allow 1-31 characters.

Common rejection reasons

Documented patterns that cause this country's banks to return wires. Universal reasons (sanctions holds, missing BIC) aren't repeated here.

Wire sent using US SWIFT BIC instead of Canadian SWIFT BIC for a CAD wire (e.g., BOFAUS3N / CHASUS33 / PNBPUS3N).
Missing 5-digit branch transit number or 3-digit Canadian financial institution number for CAD wires.
Beneficiary name mismatch.
Sanctions or compliance hold.

Validate before you send

Check identifiers before you submit. The IBAN check runs in your browser (format plus the ISO 13616 MOD-97 check digit). GIB's API checks the IBAN format for countries where an IBAN is required. The BIC lookup searches GIB's BIC directory and needs a dashboard login.

BIC lookup

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References

First-party sources — central banks, FX regulators, ISO registries. Always re-verify against these before pushing volume to a new corridor.

Disclaimer

These country guides aggregate information from central banks, regulators, and industry-standard references. Global Innovations Bank reviews them on a rolling cadence and notes the verification date on each page. Payment-corridor rules change between releases, so we cannot guarantee continued accuracy.

Always verify against the primary sources linked in the References section before going live in a new corridor. Re-check applicable sanctions lists (OFAC, EU, UK, UN consolidated, and any state-level requirements) at the time of payment, since designations shift between our refreshes.

For fintech partners on GIB's sponsor-bank rails, these guides do not replace your BSA/AML, KYC, sanctions-screening, or transaction-monitoring obligations under your program agreement with GIB.

Nothing in this material constitutes legal, tax, or regulatory advice, and wire-acceptance decisions remain at the discretion of GIB Compliance and the destination bank.

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