If you’re paying a German supplier, a salary, or for property, where you convert your pounds decides how many euros arrive. The visible fee is the small part; the exchange-rate margin is where the money usually goes.
You can rely on the figures below: we checked them against provider pricing, the mid-market GBP/EUR rate, and the German reporting rules in June 2026.
Sending Money to Germany at a Glance
Pick by what you’re sending and how fast you need it there: lowest cost on a small transfer, or near-instant arrival on an urgent one. For a £1,000 transfer we rate Atlantic Money and Revolut the cheapest, with Wise close behind and fully transparent.
| Key point | Details |
|---|---|
| Destination currency | Euro (EUR) |
| Cheapest on £1,000 (June 2026) | Atlantic Money (flat £3) and Revolut (0.3%, capped £5) |
| Fastest way | SEPA Credit Transfer, often same-day, within one business day at most |
| What the recipient needs | Full name and a 22-character German IBAN starting DE |
| Typical UK bank charge | £35 or more on £1,000 (2.5% to 4% margin plus a fee), per comparison-service estimates |
| German reporting | Recipients report incoming payments over EUR 50,000 to the Bundesbank |
If you just want the cheapest reliable route for a one-off payment, that’s a mid-market provider every time. The bank counter is the convenient option and the dearest one.
On a £1,000 transfer the gap between the cheapest provider and a bank is more than £30. Scale that to a £50,000 invoice run and the bank spread alone can cost you well over a thousand euros. The spread costs you, not the visible fee.
You should watch the timing with Revolut: its Standard plan adds 1% if you convert at the weekend, which can wipe out its price edge. That’s the catch with weekend transfers.
Best Providers for Sending Money to Germany
When you pay a supplier or send family their money, the cheapest name changes with the amount and how you want to send. We’d match the three below to three common situations on this corridor.
Wise for most transfers
Choose Wise when you want the fairest rate with nothing hidden. It uses the mid-market rate and shows the 0.37% fee upfront, sends over SEPA, and lets you hold euros in a EUR account to pay out when you need to.
Atlantic Money for large one-off transfers
Choose Atlantic Money when your amount is large and you want a flat fee. It charges £3 at the mid-market rate, so on a property deposit or a big supplier payment the saving against a percentage fee adds up fast.
Revolut for small in-app transfers
Use Revolut if you already bank in the app and your transfer is small. The 0.3% fee is capped at £5 on Standard, but avoid converting at the weekend, when the 1% surcharge lands and the cost jumps.
How GBP Compares to EUR Right Now
You should check the live mid-market GBP/EUR rate before you commit, then compare what each provider would deposit. On 3 June 2026 the rate sat at 1.1578, so £1,000 buys about €1,158 before any margin.
You can’t time the rate, and we don’t try to: the pound has been firm against the euro through 2026 on the gap between Bank of England and ECB policy. The honest move is to compare the euros you receive on the day and send when you need to.
How Long It Takes to Send Money to Germany
You should expect a SEPA Credit Transfer to land within one business day when you send to a German account, and often the same day. Wise, Atlantic Money, and Revolut all route euros this way.
Picture your supplier emailing the invoice on a Friday, with the euros due by Monday: a SEPA transfer funded early clears comfortably in time. The same-day path depends on local clearing hours, so a late-Friday send can settle on Monday.
Your transfer can also get held for a source-of-funds check above £10,000, or a recipient bank querying an unfamiliar incoming payment. Those are the usual reasons a clean SEPA transfer slows down.
What You Need to Send Money to Germany
You should gather the recipient’s details before you start, because a wrong IBAN is the usual reason a euro transfer bounces. Get these right and the payment goes through cleanly.
- Recipient full name exactly as it appears on their German bank account.
- German IBAN, which is 22 characters long and starts with the country code DE.
- BIC (the bank’s SWIFT code), which some providers generate for you and others ask for.
You’ll also need your own ID to verify your account, and for a business payment your company details. Above £10,000 expect a source-of-funds question, so have proof of where the money came from ready.
German Rules and Reporting on Money From the UK
You should know the German reporting rule before you send a large sum, because it creates paperwork rather than blocking the transfer. It doesn’t stop a legitimate payment; it just means the recipient files a report.
AWV reporting to the Bundesbank
When you send more than EUR 50,000, the recipient in Germany must report the incoming payment to the Bundesbank under the Foreign Trade and Payments Ordinance (AWV). The threshold rose from EUR 12,500 to EUR 50,000 in January 2025.
Deadlines and penalties in Germany
Note the timing if your recipient handles their own books. The AWV report is due by the seventh business day of the month after the payment, and missing it is an administrative offence that can draw a fine of up to EUR 30,000.
Common Reasons People Send Money to Germany
Match your provider to your reason, because most GBP to EUR transfers to Germany fall into a few buckets and the right pick follows from why you’re sending. Knowing your category points you straight to the cost-versus-speed trade-off.
- Business payments: paying a German supplier or contractor, where clean records help your bookkeeping.
- Real estate: a deposit or completion, where a flat-fee provider earns its keep.
- Salary: paying an employee or yourself in euros, often as a recurring amount.
- Family support: helping relatives, often as smaller recurring transfers.
Step by Step: Sending Money to Germany
- Open and verify an account. Sign up with your chosen provider and upload ID; personal verification usually takes minutes, a business account one to two days.
- Get a live quote on the corridor. Enter your GBP amount, check the rate against the mid-market GBP/EUR figure, and confirm the euros the recipient will get.
- Fund and send. Pay by Faster Payments for the lowest cost, or by debit card for instant funding, then track delivery in the app.
Final Verdict: Best Way to Send Money to Germany
For the typical sender we’d use Wise or Atlantic Money: both give the mid-market rate, and on £1,000 you’ll pay £3 to £3.70 rather than the £35 or more a bank takes. Compare the euros that land and the choice is clear.
If you send a large one-off, Atlantic Money’s flat £3 wins outright. For a small in-app transfer Revolut is fine, as long as you avoid the weekend surcharge. The bank counter is the one route we’d avoid.
Send Money to Germany FAQs
What’s the cheapest way to send money to Germany from the UK?
Compare the euros that land, not the headline rate, because most of the cost hides in the exchange-rate margin. On a £1,000 transfer (June 2026) Atlantic Money (flat £3) and Revolut (0.3%, capped £5) are the cheapest, with Wise close behind at £3.70 and fully transparent. A high-street bank can take £35 or more on the same amount.
How long does a transfer to Germany take?
A SEPA Credit Transfer usually lands within one business day, and often the same day if you fund it early. Late-Friday sends can settle on Monday because local clearing hours matter.
Is there a limit on how much I can send to Germany?
There’s no limit on a bank transfer into Germany, but the recipient must report incoming payments over EUR 50,000 to the Bundesbank under the AWV rules. That’s a record-keeping step, not a block on the payment.
Do I need to pay tax on money I send to Germany?
A normal transfer isn’t taxed in the UK, and business payments get standard expense treatment. Germany may apply gift or income rules at the recipient’s end, so for large or business transfers get professional tax advice.
What details do I need to send money to a German bank account?
You need the recipient’s full name and their German IBAN, which is 22 characters long and starts with DE. Some providers also ask for the BIC, the bank’s SWIFT code.
Methodology and Disclosure
How we reviewed this
Sources: We verified provider pricing (Wise, Atlantic Money, Revolut) against each provider’s own pages, the GBP/EUR mid-market rate, and the German rules against the Deutsche Bundesbank AWV guidance, in June 2026.
FX margins: High-street bank GBP to EUR margins aren’t published by the banks; the 2.5% to 4% range reflects independent comparison-service estimates, not a bank-published figure. Provider fees and rates move, so confirm the current figure before you send.
Not advice: This is editorial guidance, not regulated financial or tax advice.
Affiliate disclosure: BusinessExpert may receive referral fees from some providers mentioned on this page. This doesn’t affect our editorial assessments.