My SEPA Transfer Hasn't Arrived

The most common reasons

Behind a euro transfer "not arriving" there are usually a few typical reasons. We have ordered them from the most to the least common:

1. Cut-off time and the business day: Banks have a last time (cut-off) to process transactions that day. Transactions sent after the cut-off, at the weekend or on a public holiday are processed on the next business day. This is the most common "delay" reason and is actually not an error.
2. The transaction went as SWIFT, not SEPA: If one of the parties is outside SEPA (e.g. Turkey) or the transaction is not in euros, the transfer falls back to the SWIFT network. SWIFT transactions can take 1–5 business days because they pass through intermediary banks. You can check this with the SEPA or SWIFT tool.
3. Compliance (AML) check: High-value transactions or those with certain countries can be taken into additional review under anti-money-laundering (AML) rules. This can temporarily keep the transaction "on hold".
4. Payee name – IBAN mismatch (VoP): If the recipient name and IBAN do not match in the Verification of Payee check, the transaction can be paused or rejected. For details, see the payee name – IBAN mismatch page.
5. A wrong or incomplete IBAN/BIC: An incorrect IBAN can lead to the transaction being rejected or returned. Check the IBAN's format validity with the IBAN validation tool — but a valid format does not show that the account is active.
6. The recipient bank's processing time: Rarely, the recipient bank may have its own internal time for crediting an incoming transaction to the account.

What should you do, step by step?

1. Check the time: Note the date and time of sending. For standard SCT, if one business day has not passed, waiting is best. You can see the estimated arrival time with the transfer time tool.
2. Verify the details: Check the IBAN, amount, currency and recipient name on the receipt. Even a small error can stop the transaction.
3. Determine the route type: Is the transaction SEPA or SWIFT? If SWIFT, a delay is more likely. See the method and estimated time with the route and cost calculator.
4. Contact the sending bank: If the time has been exceeded, contact the sending bank with the reference (receipt) number. Banks can track the transaction over the network (a "trace" request can be opened for SWIFT).
5. Return or correction: If the transaction went to a wrong IBAN or was rejected, a return process may be needed. See SEPA transfer returned.

The situation for transfers involving Turkey

Turkey is not currently within the SEPA geographical scope (it is a candidate country that submitted a letter of intent to join on 2 July 2026). For this reason, euro transfers between Turkey and Europe are made via SWIFT. SWIFT transactions can take longer than SEPA due to intermediary banks, time zones and compliance checks; a delay of a few business days is often not an error but the nature of the process. Still, if your amount has left the sending account and a reasonable time has been exceeded, you can request a transaction trace from the sending bank.

When to worry?

For delays that noticeably exceed one business day in standard SCT and five business days in SWIFT — and especially if the money left the sending account but did not reach the recipient — you should contact the sending bank without losing time. If there is a suspicion of a transfer to a wrong IBAN, acting fast is important, because the return process depends on the recipient bank's cooperation and can take time. All these assessments are for informational purposes; the exact status can only be confirmed by your bank.