Can you make a SEPA transfer from the US? How to pay and receive euros
A US bank cannot send a SEPA transfer. A company anywhere can, if it holds EUR details on the SEPA network. Here is how that works.
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"Sepa transfer from usa" gets searched by US companies with European suppliers, and by founders everywhere with European clients. The short answer: a US bank account cannot use SEPA. A company anywhere can, if it holds euro account details on the SEPA network.
What is SEPA?
The Single Euro Payments Area is a set of schemes for euro payments between payment accounts in its member countries. A SEPA transfer between an account in Spain and one in Germany costs the same and works the same way as a domestic transfer in either country. The European Payments Council runs the schemes; the SEPA area includes the EU, the UK, Switzerland, Norway and several other countries.
Why a US bank cannot send one
SEPA only connects payment providers that are members of the schemes, in the SEPA area. A US bank is not one. When it sends euros to Europe, it uses an international wire over SWIFT. That means a SWIFT fee, possibly intermediary fees, and the bank's exchange rate if you hold dollars.
How a non-EU company uses SEPA
Hold EUR account details with an IBAN that sits on the SEPA network. Several providers issue these to companies outside the EU, in the company's own name. Then:
- European clients pay you by SEPA, as they would a local supplier.
- You pay European suppliers by SEPA from your EUR balance.
- Converting USD to EUR happens inside your account, at a rate you see, rather than at a US bank's wire rate.
SEPA timing and limits
| SEPA Credit Transfer | SEPA Instant | |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival | By end of next business day, often same day | Within 10 seconds |
| Hours | Business days | 24 hours a day, every day |
| Scheme maximum | None | None |
| Provider limits | Set by each provider | Set by each provider, and users can set their own |
What changed in 2025
The EU Instant Payments Regulation (2024/886) made two changes that affect business payments in euros:
- Euro-area payment providers that offer standard transfers must also offer instant ones, at a price no higher than the standard transfer. Receiving applied from January 2025, sending from October 2025.
- Since 9 October 2025, providers must check that the payee's name matches the IBAN before a transfer is sent, and tell the payer if it does not. This is Verification of Payee.
For a company receiving euros, the second change matters most. Make sure your account name on invoices matches the name on your EUR account exactly, or clients will see a warning when they pay you.
Fees
SEPA transfers are cheap: many providers charge nothing or a small fixed fee. The bigger cost is usually the conversion into or out of euros. The true cost of international payments shows how to compare.
EUR details on Rivet
Rivet's Growth plan includes EUR details in your company's name on the SEPA network, so European clients pay you by SEPA and you pay European suppliers the same way. The rails comparison puts SEPA next to ACH and Faster Payments, and Bank accounts lists what each currency includes.
Questions people ask
Can I send a SEPA transfer from a US bank account?
No. SEPA only connects accounts held at payment providers in the SEPA area. A US bank sends euros by international wire over SWIFT. To use SEPA, hold EUR details with an IBAN on the SEPA network, through a provider that offers them to your company.
How long does a SEPA transfer take?
A standard SEPA Credit Transfer must reach the payee's provider by the end of the next business day, and often arrives the same day. SEPA Instant arrives within 10 seconds, at any time, on any day.
Is there a limit on SEPA transfers?
The SEPA Credit Transfer scheme has no maximum amount, and the current SEPA Instant rulebook has no scheme maximum either. Your provider and bank set their own limits, and they can be lower.
What countries are in SEPA?
The 27 EU countries, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, the UK, Monaco, San Marino, Andorra and Vatican City. Several more European countries have joined in recent years. The European Payments Council publishes the current list.
Sources
Rashidatou writes Rivet's guides to how money moves between countries: the payment rails, what each one costs, and the account details a company needs to get paid in another currency. Every figure in Rashidatou's articles is traced to the scheme rulebook, the regulator or the provider's published price list, and those sources are listed at the end.
More from Rashidatou K. →This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and fees change; check the sources above and the provider’s current terms before you act on them.
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