International Business Payments to Denmark: Rails, Costs, Speed & Compliance

Quick answer

EUR invoice: SEPA to the Danish IBAN with the exact OCR/invoice reference. DKK invoice: SWIFT to the DKK account; agree SHA/OUR and the expected net amount. Last mile: Danish counterparties can fan out instant domestic credits once your international funds land.

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Rails that actually matter: SEPA for EUR, SWIFT for DKK

Denmark participates in SEPA, so EUR→EUR is predictable (often T+0/T+1). For DKK-denominated invoices, SWIFT is standard. Decide the rail by contract currency and lock fee responsibility (SHA vs OUR) and net amount in your PO to prevent “shortfall after fees”.

What details to collect from a Danish supplier

One concise sheet: legal entity name (as per bank records), CVR, bank/branch, IBAN (EUR) or account number (DKK), SWIFT/BIC, invoice/OCR reference, currency, and who bears bank/FX costs. Validate spelling and identifiers before the first transfer.

Price really means fee + FX spread

For USD/GBP→DKK, the spread often exceeds the transfer fee. Ask two numbers: the exact net amount in EUR/DKK and the applied FX rate. Avoid mid-route conversion by converting before dispatch.

Speed levers you control

Transmit in the morning, avoid Friday evenings for Monday deadlines, and use precise remittance text (“Invoice 2025-1143 / PO-784, Copenhagen”). Share pre-advice and proof (SEPA end-to-end ID or SWIFT MT103) in the same email thread as the documents.

Compliance: the bank-ready document pack

Prepare one indexed PDF: 1) registry extract + beneficial ownership (or ID + address), 2) PO/contract + invoice, 3) scope of work or shipping/customs docs (if goods), 4) FX confirmations (if pre-converted). Keep names/amounts consistent across docs and payment orders.

Invoice references and auto-reconciliation

If an OCR line is shown, copy it character-for-character. If not, include invoice + PO IDs. Avoid vague descriptions like “services”.

Instant domestic routing as the “last mile”

After inbound SEPA/SWIFT, beneficiaries can credit subcontractors within minutes via local instant clearing—useful for time-sensitive deliveries and releases.

Operational scenarios

EUR SaaS invoice: SEPA to IBAN; include OCR/invoice ID. DKK parts supplier: SWIFT DKK; agree OUR if full amount required. Distributor model: inbound international → instant domestic payouts with precise references.

Common mistakes — and fast fixes

Wrong rail vs currency: follow invoice currency. Missing/altered reference: copy OCR/ID exactly. No fee agreement: set SHA/OUR in PO. Mid-route FX: convert before dispatch. Cut-off misses: send early.

Step-by-step checklist

1) Confirm currency/rail. 2) Validate legal name, account IDs, reference. 3) Fix SHA/OUR + net amount in PO. 4) Build one PDF pack. 5) Plan FX (forward/tranches). 6) Send before cut-offs; share proofs in the same thread.

VelesClub Int., together with our partner UNIBROKER, supports secure international payments and end-to-end settlement workflows for Denmark and other destinations.