Send Money to Switzerland from India

What each bank charges to send CHF to Switzerland

Line items reflect the bank's published fee schedule. GST at 18% is charged on commission (and on Swift / correspondent charges where the bank explicitly applies it).

How to send money to Switzerland from India

1. Get the beneficiary's bank details. Full name and address as held by their bank, bank name and address in Switzerland, plus the IBAN and SWIFT/BIC code.
2. Pick the purpose code and fill Form A2. The A2 form is the LRS declaration; the most common codes for Switzerland are S1301 (gift), S0305 (maintenance of relative), S0301 (business travel). Your PAN is mandatory and the bank checks your LRS usage for the financial year against the USD 250,000 cap.
3. Check TCS before you send. Above ₹10 lakh in a financial year most non-education purposes attract 20% TCS, collected by the bank and claimable in your ITR; education and medical purposes have lower rates. The calculator on this page applies it when you enter your year-to-date LRS amount.
4. Choose the channel. HDFC, ICICI, Kotak and Axis accept outward remittance in CHF through NetBanking or their apps; SBI routes select currencies through YONO and the rest through a branch; IOB is branch-led. Branch channels usually cost more — the bank pages list the difference.
5. Decide who pays the SWIFT and correspondent charges. OUR means you pay them upfront in rupees and the beneficiary gets the full amount; SHA and BEN shift them downstream, where they are deducted from what arrives. SBI's Payee, Remitter and Guaranteed modes are the same choice under different names.
6. The bank applies the TT Selling rate and its charges. Your INR is converted at the bank's published TT Selling rate for CHF at the moment of debit, then commission, SWIFT / correspondent charges and 18% GST are added — exactly the lines shown above.
7. Track it and expect 1–3 working days. Ask the bank for the SWIFT reference (UETR) so the beneficiary's bank can trace the payment. Switzerland is 3.5 hours behind IST in summer (4.5 in winter); CHF wires typically credit the next working day.

LRS cap: USD 250,000 per resident per financial year (across all corridors combined). TCS at 20% applies above ₹10 lakh per year for most non-education purposes and is claimable in your ITR.

Sending to Switzerland: what's different

Switzerland's corridor is tuition and living costs for students at ETH, EPFL and the universities, professionals relocating, and family support.

On the receiving side

• Swiss accounts use a 21-character IBAN starting with CH plus the SWIFT/BIC code; ask the beneficiary to send it as printed by their bank.
• Swiss banks often charge the recipient for incoming international payments — from a few francs to CHF 10–20 depending on the bank and account; PostFinance and neobanks are usually cheapest.
• Some Swiss universities bill in CHF through a QR-bill; pay it by wiring CHF to the IBAN on the bill with the reference number in the payment details.

About CHF

CHF is one of the strongest currencies on Indian rate sheets; on larger transfers the rate margin matters far more than the fixed fees, so compare TT Selling rates above.

Timing

Switzerland is 3.5 hours behind IST in summer (4.5 in winter); CHF wires typically credit the next working day.

FAQ — Sending money to Switzerland from India