International transfers from France for business: SEPA, SWIFT and fees

Euro payments within SEPA cost a French company the same as domestic ones. Payments outside SEPA, or in other currencies, bring SWIFT fees and an FX margin.

Alexia M.Comparisons and market guides editor

Published: 7 August 2026
Reading time: 1 min read

Google's suggestions after "France international transfer" include "france wire transfer" and "revolut france international transfer fee". For companies the answer depends on which side of the SEPA border the money goes.

The two zones

Payment	Rail	Cost	Speed
EUR to an EU or EEA country	SEPA	Same as domestic	Seconds to 1 day
USD, GBP or another currency	SWIFT	Fee, FX margin, possible intermediary fee	1 to 3 days

Verification of payee

Since 9 October 2025, euro-area banks check the payee name against the IBAN before sending a SEPA transfer. If the name does not match, you are warned. It helps against invoice fraud; keep supplier names in your records exactly as their banks hold them.

A month for a Marseille importer

Pays a supplier in Italy €18,000 by SEPA Instant: no extra cost, arrives in seconds.
Pays a manufacturer in Vietnam $25,000 by SWIFT: fee, margin and possibly an intermediary charge.
Pays a UK consultant £4,000: conversion plus SWIFT or SEPA depending on the bank.

Cutting the cost outside SEPA

Hold currencies you pay often.
Pay on the recipient's local rail where your provider supports it.
Use OUR terms on invoice payments.
Compare the margin to the mid-market rate at the time.

Paying into France: the local rail

What	Detail
Local rail	SEPA Instant Credit Transfer
Run by	European Payments Council scheme, run by each bank
Settlement	Under ten seconds, 24/7
Published fee	By the EU Instant Payments Regulation, no more than the bank charges for a standard SEPA transfer

Source: European Payments Council: SEPA Instant Credit Transfer. Checked when this guide was last updated; the scheme's own page has the current figures.

Where Rivet fits

Rivet gives French companies EUR details for SEPA on Growth, plus USD and GBP details, and pays out to 120+ countries on local rails where available, with fee and FX shown before you confirm. Rivet is not a bank; regulated partner institutions hold the funds. See SEPA Instant and verification of payee.

Questions people ask

How much does an international transfer from France cost?

Euro transfers in SEPA cost the same as domestic ones. SWIFT transfers carry the bank's fee, the FX margin and possibly intermediary fees.

What is verification of payee?

Since 9 October 2025, banks in the euro area check that the name matches the IBAN before sending a SEPA credit transfer, and warn you if it does not.

How long does a SWIFT transfer take?

Usually one to three business days.

OUR or SHA?

OUR means you pay all fees and the recipient gets the full amount. Use it for invoice payments.

Sources

Written by

Alexia M.

Comparisons and market guides editor

Alexia compares the accounts, cards and payment tools companies weigh before they switch, and writes Rivet's market guides for founders in a specific country. Prices in Alexia's comparisons come from each provider's own pricing page on the date given in the article, rules come from the regulator or tax authority that sets them, and every source is listed at the end.