International transfers from Ireland for business: SEPA, SWIFT, GBP and USD

Euro payments from Ireland go by SEPA at domestic cost. Sterling and dollar payments, which Irish companies make often, go by SWIFT with fees and margins unless paid locally.

Alexia M.Comparisons and market guides editor

Published: 23 August 2026
Reading time: 1 min read

Google's suggestions after "Ireland international transfer" include "irish money transfer companies" and the fee pages of AIB, PTSB and Bank of Ireland. Irish companies have a particular mix: euros at home, and a lot of sterling and dollars abroad.

Rails

Payment	Rail	Cost	Speed
EUR to an EU country	SEPA	Same as domestic	Seconds to 1 day
GBP to the UK	SWIFT, or Faster Payments via a provider	Fee and margin, or local payout fee	1 to 3 days, or same day
USD to the US	SWIFT, or ACH via a provider	Fee and margin, or local payout fee	1 to 3 days, or 1 to 2 days

A month for a Dublin e-commerce brand

Pays a UK warehouse £12,000.
Pays a US app developer $6,000.
Pays a Dutch supplier €9,000.

The euro payment is simple. The sterling and dollar ones, by SWIFT, each carry a fee and a margin. Paying them locally from GBP and USD balances removes the SWIFT leg.

Ways to cut the cost

Hold GBP and USD if you earn them.
Pay on local rails where your provider supports it.
Send invoice payments on OUR terms if you must use SWIFT.

Paying into Ireland: 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 Irish companies EUR and GBP details on Growth and USD on every plan, and pays out to 120+ countries on local rails where available, with fee and FX shown first. Rivet is not a bank; regulated partner institutions hold the funds. See instant payments compared.

Questions people ask

How much does an international transfer from Ireland cost?

SEPA euro transfers cost the same as domestic ones. SWIFT transfers in GBP or USD carry the bank's fee and an FX margin.

What is the cheapest way to pay a UK supplier from Ireland?

In sterling on Faster Payments, if your provider offers it, from a sterling balance or after one planned conversion.

How long does a SWIFT transfer take?

Usually one to three business days.

What is verification of payee?

A check since 9 October 2025 that the name matches the IBAN before a euro transfer is sent.

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.