Getting paid by a client or a company in another country stopped being unusual. What is still common is that the payment gets held, that less arrives than expected, or that nobody explains why it is taking so long.
This article is about that: what happens along the way and which part is up to you.
Why payments from abroad get complicated
Four causes cover almost everything:
- The beneficiary name does not match. It is the number one cause and the most avoidable. It is developed in why an account goes under review.
- Incomplete details. An IBAN with one digit changed, or an international transfer without the correct SWIFT or BIC code.
- Intermediaries along the way. Outside the euro area the payment passes through correspondent institutions that process in their own hours and can deduct charges from the amount in transit.
- Destination country requirements. Each local rail has its hours, its holidays and its identification requirements.
What you need to get paid in euros
Less than it looks. Your full name exactly as it appears on your ID, and an IBAN in your name.
Nothing requires that IBAN to be from a specific country. Within the SEPA area, rejecting an IBAN over its country of issue is prohibited, and your client's admin department will still occasionally try. How to resolve it, with the argument in writing, is in getting paid in euros without a European bank account.
The real timings, by rail
| Route | Timing | What can stop it |
|---|---|---|
| Standard SEPA in euros | Next business day at the latest | A beneficiary name that does not match |
| SEPA instant | Seconds, if both institutions support it | One of the two not supporting it |
| International outside SEPA | Variable, depending on intermediaries | Hours, checks and holidays at each link |
The detail of why these three cases have nothing in common is in SEPA, SWIFT and how long a transfer really takes.
What you do with the money once it lands
If you are going to spend it in euros, there is no conversion and no exchange cost. If you are sending part home, that is where the exchange rate appears, and with it the real difference between providers.
There is only one honest way to compare: how much lands in the destination account. Each pair has its page with the detail, for example euro and Argentine peso. And the local leg is on the corridor page: Argentina works with CBU, CVU and alias, while Peru and Colombia ask for different details.
The mistake that ruins someone else's account
It comes up constantly: while their own account is in verification, someone asks to be paid into a relative's or a friend's account.
Do not do it. Receiving someone else's income is exactly the pattern prevention controls flag, and the one who ends up blocked is the holder of the account that received it. How that mechanism is used to recruit accounts is in the scams that hit Latinos hardest.
Keep three documents for every payment
The invoice or work order. The contract. And the transfer receipt with the date and the payer's full name.
This is not bureaucracy for its own sake: it is what gets asked for to evidence the source of an income, and also what you need for a lease, a loan or a residence renewal. One folder per year and one subfolder per client is enough.
The conditions and limits of each transaction are published in the FAQ, and the technical terms in the glossary.
Informational content. This does not constitute financial, legal, tax or investment advice.
Your life crosses borders. Your money moves with you.
Open your account with your passport, get paid in euros and send home whenever you need to.
Frequently asked questions
Why does a payment from abroad get held?
In the vast majority of cases because the beneficiary name does not match the account holder. Since October 2025 payment providers in the euro area must offer verification of payee on euro transfers, and one missing surname or a trading name instead of the registered name stops the transaction for manual review.
Which details do I have to give to be paid in euros?
Your full name exactly as it appears on your ID, an IBAN in your name, and, if the payment leaves from outside the euro area, the institution's SWIFT or BIC code. Give the IBAN in writing with no spaces, never dictated over the phone, and check your name is written the same way on the contract.
Can I be paid into a relative's account while I sort out mine?
It is a bad idea and in practice it goes wrong. An account receiving someone else's income produces exactly the pattern prevention systems flag, with a real risk of a block for the holder. It also leaves you with no traceable record of your own income, which is what gets asked for later for a lease or a residence renewal.
How long does a payment from abroad take to arrive?
It depends on the rail. A standard SEPA euro transfer credits by the next business day at the latest from when it is sent, and SEPA instant arrives in seconds when both institutions support it. Outside SEPA the transaction passes through intermediary institutions, each with its own hours and checks, and the timing is variable.
Informational content. This does not constitute financial, legal, tax or investment advice.
Keep reading
Money without bordersWire transfer: the long road, and who charges for the trip
It is the classic international transfer. It can pass through banks you never chose, and each one may keep a share before it arrives.
Read more
Money without bordersBeneficiary verification: the step that stalls more payments than you'd think
Before a transfer executes, the beneficiary's name is checked against the account holder. One accent of difference is enough to stop it.
Read more
Money without bordersAccount ownership: whose account it is, and why it gets checked so often
Ownership says whose account it is. Almost every stall an international payment suffers comes back to it.
Read moreOne useful guide a month. Nothing else.
Paperwork, fraud alerts and changes that affect your money between Europe and LatAm.