SEPA transfers
As an EU country, Finland is part of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA). With a SEPA transfer, it is possible to pay all euro-denominated payments in a single euro-denominated area.
Transfers between OmaSp’s customers’ accounts are made in real time. OmaSp usually makes SEPA transfers from one bank to another the same day. Please note that payments to other banks are only made on weekdays.Payments made on weekends or national holidays are made to other banks on the following weekday.
SEPA covers 36 countries
Using a SEPA transfer, it is possible to make payments to the following EU countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the EEA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Andorra, the UK, San Marino, Switzerland and the Vatican.
How do I make a foreign payments
In OmaSp’s online bank you can make payments abroad in euros or other currencies just like you would make payments within Finland, i.e. using the ‘New payment’ function. You can also come to one of our branches for assistance. A service fee based on the price list is charged for the payments. Please note that in foreign payments, payment orders normally arrive within a few days.
Foreign payments mean payments made in currencies other than euros or when a payment is sent outside SEPA (EU countries and Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Andorra, Switzerland, San Marino and the Vatican). For example, a payment in US dollars to a Finnish bank is also considered to be a foreign payment.
You can pay and receive foreign payments in the following currencies: AUD, CAD, CHF, DKK, EUR, GBP, HKD, JPY, NOK, PLN, SEK, USD, NZD, ZAR, SGD. Up-to-date exchange rates and a currency converter can be found in your online bank in the ‘Accounts and cards’ section under ‘Currencies’.
For foreign payments, you need the recipient’s account number, name and address, and when making a payment outside Europe, also the name and address of the recipient’s bank.
If you are set to receive a payment from abroad, remember to give your IBAN account number and OmaSp’s contact details to the sender.
Central Bank of Savings Banks Finland Plc.
Teollisuuskatu 33, 00510 Helsinki, Finland
BIC/SWIFT (code): ITELFIHH
Intermediary Bank: Aktia Bank Plc.
BIC/SWIFT (code): HELSFIHH
Euro-denominated payments outside SEPA and all foreign currency-denominated payments are made using the ‘New payment’ function of OmaSp’s online bank. The payment will typically arrive within a week. If you wish to expedite the payment, use the urgent payment order as the method of payment in the ‘New payment’ function. Only persons over the age of 18 can make foreign payments.
There are three types of fees for foreign payments: SHA, OUR and BEN. It depends on the fee type whether the sender or recipient pays the service fee. The service fees can be found in the bank’s current price list.
SHA (shared) fee
The SHA (shared) option means that the fees are shared. The sender and recipient each pay their own banks’ service fees based on their banks’ price lists. Shared fees are used in SEPA.
OUR fee
The OUR option means that the recipient does not pay any fees on the payment; instead the sender pays an extra fee in addition to their bank’s service fee, also covering the recipient’s service fee.
BEN (beneficiary) fee
The BEN (beneficiary) option means that the recipient pays all the fees. In this case the recipient pays both their owns fees and those of the sender.