SEPA Instant Checker
Check whether a bank is in the European Payments Council's SEPA Instant register, and whether it offers Verification of Payee.
A bank offers SEPA Instant if it is in the European Payments Council's register of SCT Inst participants. That register lists 2,837 banks and payment providers in 39 countries, and this page searches it by bank name, BIC or IBAN. An instant euro payment reaches the payee within seconds, on any day (the EPC's target is 5 seconds and EU law allows 10), and needs the payee's bank to be able to receive it. If a bank is not listed, that does not prove it cannot receive instant payments, so ask the bank.
Check a bank
Type part of a bank's name, its 8 or 11-character BIC, or an IBAN. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
SEPA Instant by Country
The number of participants in the EPC's SCT Inst register for each SEPA scheme country or territory, and how many of them are also in the Verification of Payee register. Iceland, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Vatican City State have none listed today.
| Country | Rules | Instant | Payee check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | Other SEPA | 1 | 0 |
| Andorra | Other SEPA | 3 | 0 |
| Austria | Euro area | 381 | 377 |
| Belgium | Euro area | 32 | 29 |
| Bulgaria | Euro area | 29 | 8 |
| Croatia | Euro area | 20 | 20 |
| Cyprus | Euro area | 24 | 19 |
| Czech Republic | EU, not euro | 7 | 5 |
| Denmark | EU, not euro | 8 | 6 |
| Estonia | Euro area | 9 | 7 |
| Finland | Euro area | 13 | 13 |
| France | Euro area | 212 | 193 |
| Germany | Euro area | 1,116 | 1,079 |
| Gibraltarterritory | Other SEPA | 1 | 0 |
| Greece | Euro area | 17 | 17 |
| Guernseyterritory | Other SEPA | 1 | 0 |
| Hungary | EU, not euro | 2 | 1 |
| Iceland | Other SEPA | 0 | 0 |
| Ireland | Euro area | 179 | 173 |
| Isle of Manterritory | Other SEPA | 0 | 0 |
| Italy | Euro area | 347 | 346 |
| Jerseyterritory | Other SEPA | 2 | 1 |
| Latvia | Euro area | 17 | 16 |
| Liechtenstein | Other SEPA | 4 | 0 |
| Lithuania | Euro area | 62 | 59 |
| Luxembourg | Euro area | 49 | 49 |
| Malta | Euro area | 29 | 27 |
| Moldova | Other SEPA | 0 | 0 |
| Monaco | Other SEPA | 1 | 0 |
| Montenegro | Other SEPA | 0 | 0 |
| Netherlands | Euro area | 34 | 29 |
| North Macedonia | Other SEPA | 1 | 0 |
| Norway | Other SEPA | 1 | 1 |
| Poland | EU, not euro | 7 | 2 |
| Portugal | Euro area | 33 | 33 |
| Romania | EU, not euro | 4 | 1 |
| Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelonterritory | Other SEPA | 0 | 0 |
| San Marino | Other SEPA | 5 | 0 |
| Serbia | Other SEPA | 0 | 0 |
| Slovakia | Euro area | 13 | 13 |
| Slovenia | Euro area | 13 | 13 |
| Spain | Euro area | 106 | 102 |
| Sweden | EU, not euro | 6 | 5 |
| Switzerland | Other SEPA | 4 | 0 |
| United Kingdom | Other SEPA | 44 | 1 |
| Vatican City State | Other SEPA | 0 | 0 |
Go Deeper
What SEPA Instant Is
SEPA Instant Credit Transfer, called SCT Inst, is a euro payment scheme of the European Payments Council (EPC). Funds reach the payee within seconds, on every calendar day, at any time. The EPC's 2025 rulebook sets a target of 5 seconds, and EU law requires the money to be made available within 10 seconds. Since the 2025 rulebook the scheme has no maximum amount of its own, so limits come from your bank.
How to Know If a Payment Will Be Instant
- The payment is in euro. SEPA schemes do not handle other currencies.
- The payee's account is at a bank in a SEPA scheme country, and that bank can receive instant payments.
- Your bank can send instant payments, and your app offers it for this payment.
- Your bank does not stop the payment for its own limit or fraud check.
If the payee's bank cannot receive an instant payment, your app either refuses it or offers a standard SEPA transfer, depending on your bank. A standard transfer must reach the payee's bank within one banking business day.
The EU Rules for Instant Payments
Regulation (EU) 2024/886, the Instant Payments Regulation, sets these dates for banks that offer credit transfers in euro:
| Requirement | Euro area | EU, outside euro area |
|---|---|---|
| Receive instant payments | 9 January 2025 | 9 January 2027 |
| Send instant payments | 9 October 2025 | 9 July 2027 |
| Verification of Payee | 9 October 2025 | 9 July 2027 |
| Same charges as standard transfers | 9 January 2025 | 9 January 2027 |
Banks in other SEPA countries, such as the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Norway, join the scheme voluntarily. The regulation does not apply to them directly.
Verification of Payee
Verification of Payee checks that the name you enter matches the name on the IBAN before you confirm a payment. The EPC keeps a separate register for it. A bank can be a "requesting" participant, which checks names for its own customers, a "responding" participant, which answers checks about its own accounts, or both. This page shows what the register says. Banks that are "pending" have registered but are not yet ready for operations.
If a Bank Is Not Listed
The register lists participants by BIC. A bank can be missing for a good reason: it can be reachable through another listed bank, its parent can hold the listing, or it can be a new bank. It can also be missing because it does not offer instant payments. Check its own website or app, or ask it. Look at the BIC as well as the name, because a bank can be listed under a different BIC from the one on your statement.
What This Page Uses
The data is the European Payments Council's Registers of Participants: the SEPA Instant Credit Transfer register updated 11 September 2026 and the Verification of Payee register updated 18 September 2026, downloaded 19 September 2026. We joined the two by BIC, and added the country's euro-area status and the IBAN checks. We left out addresses, and we did not change names, BICs or dates. The country list is the EPC's list of SEPA scheme countries, version 8.0. The EPC does not endorse this page. We last checked on 19 September 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SEPA Instant?
SEPA Instant Credit Transfer, or SCT Inst, is a euro payment scheme of the European Payments Council. The money reaches the payee within seconds, on every calendar day and at any hour. The EPC's 2025 rulebook sets a target of 5 seconds, and EU law requires the money to be made available within 10 seconds.
How do I check whether my bank supports SEPA Instant?
Type its name or BIC in the checker on this page. It searches the EPC register of SCT Inst participants, which lists 2,837 banks and payment providers in 39 countries and territories. You can also open your bank's app and see whether it offers instant payments for euro transfers.
Where do I find my bank's BIC?
On your bank statement, in your online banking, or on your bank's website. You do not need a BIC to send a SEPA payment, because the IBAN is enough. The BIC only helps you find the bank in this register.
What does it mean if my bank is not listed?
The bank is not in the EPC register under that name or BIC. It may still be reachable through another listed bank, it may be listed under a different BIC, or it may not offer instant payments. Ask the bank. Under the EU rules, banks in the euro area that offer credit transfers in euro have had to receive instant payments since 9 January 2025.
How fast is a SEPA Instant payment?
The EPC's 2025 rulebook sets a target of 5 seconds, and EU law requires the money to be made available within 10 seconds. It works at any time of day, on any day of the year, apart from short planned maintenance. Banks can still hold a payment for their own checks, so it is not guaranteed to complete.
Is there a maximum amount for SEPA Instant?
The scheme rules leave value limits to each bank. Since the 2025 rulebook, the instant scheme no longer has a maximum amount of its own. Your bank can still set limits in its app, so check them there.
Do instant payments cost more than standard transfers?
In the euro area, banks may not charge more for an instant euro transfer than for a standard one since 9 January 2025. For EU banks outside the euro area the same rule starts on 9 January 2027. Banks in other countries set their own prices.
What is Verification of Payee?
A check that the name you enter matches the name on the IBAN before you confirm the payment. The EPC keeps a register of banks that offer it. 2,645 of the participants in the SCT Inst register are also ready in that register. The rules require euro-area banks to offer it from 9 October 2025 and EU banks outside the euro area from 9 July 2027.
Which countries have no SEPA Instant banks listed?
Today the register lists none in Iceland, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Vatican City State. Isle of Man and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon are territories that also have none. The lists change, so use the table on this page.
Are UK and Swiss banks on the register?
Yes, some are. The register lists 44 participants in the United Kingdom and 4 in Switzerland. Both countries are in the SEPA scheme area, and their banks join voluntarily because the EU regulation does not apply to them directly.
Do both banks need to support SEPA Instant?
Yes. The sending bank must offer it and the receiving bank must be able to receive it. The two banks do not need to be in the same country, only in SEPA scheme countries, and the payment must be in euro.
What happens if the recipient's bank cannot receive instant payments?
Your bank either refuses the instant payment or offers a standard SEPA transfer instead. Which of the two depends on your bank. A standard SEPA transfer must reach the payee's bank within one banking business day.
Can I send an instant payment from a non-euro account?
Only in euro. SEPA schemes handle euro payments. Your account can be in another currency and your bank can convert the amount, but the conversion is outside the scheme. A payment in another currency is not a SEPA payment.
Where does the data come from and how current is it?
From the EPC's Registers of Participants: the SCT Inst register updated 11 September 2026 and the Verification of Payee register updated 18 September 2026, downloaded 19 September 2026. The EPC updates them often, so a newer version may differ. We joined them by BIC and left out addresses. The EPC does not endorse this page. We last checked on 19 September 2026.
Is anything I type stored or sent?
No. The lookup runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to a server or saved by this page.
