International payments to and from Germany: timelines, fees and what to expect

A comprehensive guide to German cross-border payments for consumers and businesses.

As a member of the European Union and eurozone, Germany benefits from seamless euro-denominated transfers across the continent. However, when migrant workers send remittances home. Or savvy German shoppers bag an online bargain. Or students pay tuition fees to study abroad, consumers are making non-EU/EEA payments.

When German businesses pay suppliers or accept payment from customers outside SEPA (Single European Payments Area), they come up against the cross-border payment problem. We examine 10 different international payment scenarios, the timelines, fees and what to expect.

1. How do consumers send or receive payments from family and friends outside Germany?
2. How do consumers purchase online from a seller outside Germany?
3. How do consumers sell online to a buyer outside Germany?
4. How do consumers pay a bill outside Germany?
5. How do German businesses pay a foreign supplier?
6. How do German businesses pay a worker?
7. How do German businesses make an intra-company loan?
8. How do German businesses accept payment from customers overseas?
9. How do international businesses sell into Germany?
10. How do international businesses buy from Germany?

1. How do consumers send or receive payments from family and friends outside Germany?

Since the 1950s, Germany has attracted migrant workers to fill labour shortages and power the Wirtschaftswunder, the post-war economic miracle. Most foreign workers currently come from other EU member states, such as Bulgaria, Poland or Romania, but there are strong historical links to Turkey, and since 2022 with Ukraine.

Almost all adults in Germany have a bank account and are enthusiastic users of bank account-based payment methods. So, to make a person-to-person payment outside Germany, consumers would likely turn to their bank.

Generally, bank-initiated credit transfers within the eurozone are free or cost the same as a domestic transfer e.g. €0.20. And take anything from 10 seconds to one business day, depending on whether the payment is made via the SEPA Instant Credit or SEPA Credit Transfer system.

Other money transfer or remittance services exist in Germany. Indicative execution times and costs for sending €140 from Germany, drawn from Q3 2025 World Bank data, include:

Payments from Germany to Romania arrive within the hour or in up to five days and cost 3.2% on average, ranging from 0% at the low end (Postbank, Deutsche Bank and TransferGo) to 11% at the high end (Western Union).

Payments from Germany to Turkey arrive within the hour or in up to five days via the SWIFT network. The average cost is 4%, ranging from 1.74% at the low end (Ria, internet initiated) to 7.32% at the high end (MoneyGram, agent initiated).

Payments from Germany to Ukraine generally take less than an hour, within five days via SWIFT being the exception. They cost 3.49% on average, ranging from 0% at the low end (MoneyGram, internet initiated) to 7-10% at the high end (Western Union and MoneyGram, agent initiated).

2. How do consumers purchase online from a seller outside Germany?

Germany is one of the largest e-commerce markets in Europe, with around €88 billion spent online annually, or 13.5% of total retail spend. Nearly half (49%) of online shoppers in Germany buy from retailers in other countries, and one-third (32%) do so at least monthly.

The German domestic debit card (girocard) doesn’t work online, so when it comes to paying for these cross-border purchases, PayPal is the most used payment method (28.5%), according to EHI figures.

3. How do consumers sell online to a buyer outside Germany?

When consumers sell online via eBay, Etsy etc. to buyers outside Germany, PayPal is a popular payment option. Although the new pan-European digital wallet, Wero, allows consumers to send, request and receive money with an e-mail, mobile number or QR code.

75% of banked consumers in Germany, France and Belgium now have access to Wero. Billed as a digital wallet for Europe, by Europe, Wero has strong regional support. It enables European banks to build and promote an alternative to rival US-owned payment networks, such as Visa and Mastercard.

4. How do consumers pay a bill outside Germany?

To pay a utility bill for a holiday home in Spain, German consumers would likely choose one of the bank-to-bank SEPA payment schemes. Either SEPA Instant Credit Transfer, SEPA Credit Transfer or SEPA Direct Debit. The payment would arrive either instantly or within two business days and cost the same as a domestic transfer in euro.

To pay tuition fees for a child studying abroad in China, German consumers would likely make an international bank transfer. Because this uses the SWIFT network, the transfer could take up to five days and cost around €35 in fees, excluding the mark-up on the exchange rate.

To pay for a hotel stay in the Caribbean, German consumers would typically use a credit card. Just over half the adult population in Germany has a credit card, which is generally used abroad, rather than for domestic retail or online purchases.

5. How do German businesses pay a foreign supplier?

Germany is an economic powerhouse with a strong manufacturing base and healthy exports. It ran a current account surplus of €197.4 billion in 2025, or nearly 4% of GDP.

When German businesses import raw materials, component parts or labour, they make international payments. Within the 41 countries of SEPA area this can be done most effectively via one of the SEPA payment schemes as follows:

• SEPA Credit Transfer
• SEPA Direct Debit Core
• SEPA Instant Credit Transfer
• SEPA Request-to-Pay
• SEPA Direct Debit B2B

The European Payments Council (EPC) is also working on the roll-out of the One-Leg Out Instant Credit Transfer, a scheme dedicated to international instant credit transfers. The ‘one leg out’ refers to the fact one of the banks, either the sender or receiver, is outside SEPA.

The rules, practices and standards apply to the euro leg of an international instant credit transfer within SEPA. The EPC is consulting on the rulebook between March and June 2026, with publication expected November 2026.

For payments to the rest of the world, German businesses could use international correspondent banking rails via SWIFT or alternative providers. This includes Inpay which has built a proprietary network of 100+ countries and gives access to SEPA countries, as well as the UK with GBP and other local payment offerings.

6. How do German businesses pay a worker?

Businesses would generally pay a worker in France via SEPA Credit Transfer or SEPA Instant Credit Transfer. Both are bank-account-to-bank-account payment methods initiated by the payer.

Payments are made for the full original amount – there are no deductions. A bank would charge their customer (the German business) no more than a similar payment within Germany. Payments typically take one day for credit transfers and less than 10 seconds for instant credit transfers, which makes the latter great for paying freelance or gig economy workers at the end of the day or shift.

Paying a worker in Philippines would typically involve either the SWIFT or an alternative proprietary network. The former could take five days and cost €15-30. The latter could take and cost significantly less.

7. How do German businesses make an intra-company loan?

German businesses could use multicurrency accounts to transfer funds from the German head office to a subsidiary in the US. These are bank accounts used to manage, hold and transact in multiple currencies, unlike a standard account denominated in a single currency.

Other alternatives include using fintechs such as Wise, WorldFirst, Payoneer or Inpay. Or using a virtual account management solution, a digital overlay that enables businesses to manage multiple virtual sub-accounts linked to a single physical master account.

8. How do German businesses accept payment from customers overseas?

The best way for German businesses to accept payment from overseas customers differs on whether it’s a C2B or B2B payment.

For C2B payments, the German business would need to accept various local or alternative payment methods (APMs). This includes mobile wallets, bill payment options, prepaid vouchers and bank transfers which are indeed mainstream in many markets, particularly for e-commerce purchases.

For B2B payments, the German business would typically provide their bank account details on invoice for their business customer to make a SEPA or SWIFT transfer. These require an IBAN (International Bank Account Number), an alphanumeric code up to 34 characters long, identifying the information needed to apply the payment to the correct account.

9. How do international businesses sell into Germany?

Former West German Chancellor Willy Brandt famously said: “If I am selling to you, I speak your language. If I am buying, dann müssen Sie Deutsch sprechen.”

More than 80% of B2C e-commerce sales by value in Germany are made via PayPal (28.5%), payment on invoice (25.8%), credit transfer/direct debit (17.3%) and cards (12.3%), according to the latest EHI stats. Meanwhile, cross-border B2B sales are made via payment on invoice (SEPA or SWIFT transfer), direct debit, credit cards or PayPal.

International businesses should accommodate local payment preferences when selling into Germany.

10. How do international businesses buy from Germany?

An international business wanting to buy components from a German manufacturer would typically pay on invoice after delivery. SEPA Credit Transfers and SWIFT payments are common German trade payments. SEPA Direct Debits are also popular for recurring payments, but require a pre-authorization mandate from the payer as they’re ‘pull’ payments.