SEPA
Published 8 November 2026, 20:40
SEPA — Single Euro Payments Area
Common rules for euro transfers covering EU countries and several other European states. Within this area, a transfer by IBAN from one country to another goes through just as it would within a single country — with the same timescales and no surcharge for being "international". Direct debits (débito direto) are also part of it.
Where you come across it. Salary, rent, paying bills, payments to the tax office and Segurança Social, transferring money from another country.
Refusing to accept an IBAN from another country in the area for a euro payment is called IBAN discrimination and is prohibited; complaints go to Banco de Portugal. A SWIFT payment is not a SEPA payment: it takes longer and is processed manually.
Official website: ecb.europa.eu/paym/retail/sepa/html/index.en.html