Commonwealth Bank (CBA) International Transfers: Fees, Limits and How It Works

How to send a CommBank international transfer

You can send a CommBank International Money Transfer (IMT) three ways: through NetBank, the CommBank app, or in person at a branch. Online, you add the payee's details — their name, address, bank account number and the receiving bank's BIC/SWIFT code — then choose the amount and currency. CBA shows you the exchange rate and total cost before you confirm (commbank.com.au, as at September 2026).

CBA's own page states you can also send money overseas at your nearest branch, 'minimum AUD5,000 per transfer' — that's a floor on branch transfers specifically, not a cap on what you can send online.

The fee depends on whether the payment actually converts currency. Sending in a foreign currency through NetBank, the CommBank app or CommBiz — genuinely converting AUD into the destination currency, or debiting a Foreign Currency Account — has the transfer fee waived. Sending AUD to AUD with no conversion through NetBank or the CommBank app costs $30 per transfer, the same as a branch or manual payment instruction.

What CommBank charges

CBA's own fee leaflet, 'Standard fees and charges for international payments and travel funds,' dated 23 July 2026, lists: $30.00 per transfer issued via a branch or manual payment instruction; the transfer fee waived when a digital channel genuinely converts currency; $30.00 when NetBank or the CommBank app sends AUD with no conversion; and the fee waived on CommBiz for the same reason. A cancellation or return-of-funds request costs $25.00 plus any overseas bank's costs, an amendment to a payment instruction is also $25.00 plus costs, and tracing a sent transfer costs $25.00 per investigation, including any follow-up.

CBA also charges an 'Additional Overseas Banks' Fee' when you send the same currency you hold — for example, a GBP Foreign Currency Account paying a GBP recipient through CommBiz or in branch — of $33 (EUR), $17 (GBP), $17 (NZD) or $37 (USD). This fee is automatically waived when the transfer genuinely converts currency.

On correspondent bank charges, CBA's IMT terms and conditions state: 'For cross-currency IMTs, we will absorb any correspondent bank or payment agents fees, however other banks or payment agents may ignore our instruction in which case we are liable only to the extent of the amount deducted.' Its fees page adds that on CommBiz specifically, CBA pays correspondent fees on a cross-currency IMT with Japanese Yen excluded. If you send the same currency instead, CBA publishes a guide table of average correspondent fees by currency and destination — for example USD 6 to the United States and USD 16 to the rest of the world, GBP 6 to the UK and GBP 7 elsewhere, HKD 65 to Hong Kong and HKD 255 elsewhere. CBA states this table is 'based on data from third party suppliers (July 2020-June 2021)' — treat it as a dated guide to the shape of correspondent charges, not a current figure (commbank.com.au, checked 25 September 2026).

How CommBank sets your exchange rate

CommBank does not publish a fixed percentage margin. Its own NetBank/CommBank app IMT terms and conditions state: 'Exchange rates are indicative only. The exchange rate will be determined when your transaction is confirmed and this is the rate that will apply to your payment, regardless of when the payment is processed' (commbank.com.au, as at September 2026).

The same terms note that other banks or payment agents involved in your transfer may convert your money into an intermediate currency — such as US dollars or euros — before converting again to the destination currency, even where both the sending and receiving currency are Australian dollars. CBA says it can request non-conversion on your behalf, but 'other banks or payment agents may ignore our instruction,' so the practical outcome depends on the receiving bank as much as CBA itself.

Transfer limits and how to raise yours

CBA sets your International Money Transfer limit inside NetBank and the CommBank app rather than publishing one fixed figure for every customer. Its own guidance states: 'If you bank with us, we set the limit at $0 for security reasons. Before you make your first IMT, you need to set your IMT limit by either: Logging on to NetBank > Settings > Online banking limits; or Logging on to the CommBank app > Settings > Payment limits' (commbank.com.au, as at September 2026).

CBA's own NetBank transfer-limits help page did not display a specific default or maximum dollar figure when checked directly this month. A commonly repeated '$5,000 default / $50,000 via customer care' figure for CBA appears only on other providers' blogs and comparison sites, not on commbank.com.au — it is not repeated here as fact. If your current NetBank or app limit isn't enough for a one-off larger amount, CBA's $5,000-minimum branch option is a second channel, and calling CommBank directly is the way to confirm or change your specific account's limit. See our comparison of bank transfer limits for how CBA's approach compares with NAB, Westpac, ANZ and Suncorp.

Cut-off times and how long a transfer takes

CommBank's own IMT terms state money sent overseas 'is usually available to the recipient within 1 business day (Australian time) of our accepting your instruction,' but add that delivery is 'still subject to the requirements and practices of the overseas recipient and correspondent banks, payment agents and local regulators beyond the Bank's control (such as delays in processing of a payments by the overseas bank and agents for additional screening or payments to first time beneficiaries) which may lengthen the timeframe for receipt of funds' (commbank.com.au, as at September 2026).

CBA does not publish a single daily cut-off clock time on the pages checked this month — payments process Monday to Friday excluding public holidays, and one received after that day's cut-off moves to the next business day. The same terms note CBA can decline or delay a transaction 'where we believe in good faith that processing the transaction may cause you or us to lose money... or may result in a breach of local or international laws, including those relating to anti-money laundering and sanctions' — a standard screening disclosure, not a sign that anything about your specific transfer is wrong.

Is a CommBank international transfer a 'telegraphic transfer'?

Not in CBA's own language. Commonwealth Bank markets its consumer international transfer product exclusively as an 'International Money Transfer (IMT)' — the phrase 'telegraphic transfer' does not appear anywhere on CBA's main international transfer, fees or terms pages checked this month. The one place the term surfaces on commbank.com.au is a business/institutional fee schedule referring to 'RTGS – Domestic Telegraphic Transfers' — a same-day domestic (Australia-to-Australia) product, unrelated to sending money overseas.

So if you've searched 'CommBank telegraphic transfer' because someone has asked you to make one, the product you actually want on the CommBank consumer side is the International Money Transfer, available through NetBank, the CommBank app or in branch as described above.

Buying foreign cash and moving money between your own CBA accounts

CBA's fee leaflet also covers two related products worth knowing about alongside an IMT (commbank.com.au, PDF dated 23 July 2026). Buying foreign currency notes — online through CBA's PriorityFX/ExpressFX service, or from a branch — costs 1% of the transaction amount, with a minimum of $10.00 per transaction; selling foreign currency notes back to CBA costs the same 1% (minimum $10.00). Deposits and withdrawals of foreign currency notes on a Foreign Currency Account carry the same 1%-minimum-$10.00 structure, per currency.

One genuinely free option: 'Transfers between your own Commonwealth Bank linked accounts' are listed as free of charge. If you hold both an AUD account and a CBA Foreign Currency Account, moving money between the two is not treated as an International Money Transfer and doesn't carry the IMT fee structure described above.

Receiving an international transfer into your CommBank account

To receive money into a CommBank account, give the sender your full name and home address (not a PO box), the bank name 'Commonwealth Bank of Australia,' CBA's BIC/SWIFT code CTBAAU2S, and your BSB and account number (commbank.com.au, as at September 2026). CBA charges up to $11.00 per transfer to credit an AUD account regardless of the currency sent, and up to $11.00 per transfer to credit a Foreign Currency Account — though the exact Foreign Currency Account fee 'depends on arrangements with overseas banks.'

For the full walkthrough — what to give the sender, how long it takes, and what to do if a transfer hasn't arrived — see our guide to receiving money from overseas into a CommBank account.

When a specialist provider works differently

A specialist foreign exchange provider like OFX operates outside CommBank's own fee and correspondent-bank structure — OFX's own FAQ states it does not enforce a maximum transfer limit, only noting that 'bank daily transfer limits may apply' on the sending side (ofx.com, as at September 2026), which is a different mechanism from the NetBank/app-set IMT limit CBA uses, described above.

What is CommBank's international transfer fee?

It depends on the channel and whether the payment converts currency. Sending in a foreign currency through NetBank, the CommBank app or CommBiz has the transfer fee waived; sending AUD with no conversion, or via a branch or manual instruction, costs $30 per transfer (commbank.com.au, as at September 2026).

Does Commonwealth Bank charge to receive money from overseas?

Yes — up to $11.00 per transfer to credit an AUD account, and up to $11.00 per transfer for a Foreign Currency Account, though the exact fee for the latter depends on the arrangement with the overseas bank.

Is there a CommBank telegraphic transfer?

Not as a consumer product name. CBA calls its overseas transfer product an International Money Transfer (IMT). The only 'telegraphic transfer' reference found on commbank.com.au is a business fee schedule describing a domestic, same-day, Australia-to-Australia product.

What is CommBank's SWIFT/BIC code?

CTBAAU2S. You'll also need to give the sender your full name, home address (not a PO box) and your BSB and account number.

How long does a CommBank international money transfer take?

CBA's own terms say money sent overseas is usually available to the recipient within one business day of CBA accepting your instruction, but note that overseas correspondent banks or local regulators can add extra screening time on either end.

What is the maximum I can send overseas through CommBank?

CBA sets your IMT limit inside NetBank and the CommBank app rather than publishing one figure for everyone; the branch channel has a $5,000 minimum, not a maximum. See our comparison of bank transfer limits for the figures NAB, Westpac, ANZ and Suncorp publish for their own accounts.

Can I send money between my own CBA accounts in different currencies for free?

Yes. CBA's own fee leaflet lists transfers between your own linked Commonwealth Bank accounts as free — this is separate from an International Money Transfer to someone else's account, which follows the fee structure described above.