A wire transfer is a safe way to send or receive money from around the world. You can send wires in almost any currency and receive them in either Canadian or U.S. Dollars.

Tip! Before sending or receiving a wire, stop by your Servus branch or call us at 1.877.378.8728 to check your name and address are up to date.

We’ll be honest. Wire transfers are finicky. Depending where a wire is going, it can pass through many systems each with its own set of rules. Wires must also comply with anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing laws and regulations. To protect you and Servus, and speed up the transfer through the system, we need all wires to have detailed and true information about you, the person you are sending the wire to (or receiving the wire from) and any third parties instructing the wire.

Missing or incorrect information can delay your transfer or stop it from arriving at all. Suspensions or rejections by third party payment processors can also happen, though this is outside of Servus's influence.

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How to send a wire | How to receive a wire | Receiving a wire in Canadian dollars | Receiving a wire in U.S. dollars | International wires | Frequently asked questions

How to send a wire transfer

Every wire you send must include your full legal name, your physical address (Note: PO Boxes will not be accepted as an address), your birthdate, your primary occupation, your phone number and your Servus account number.

It must also include this information about the person or business receiving the money:

Ask your recipient to confirm this information with their bank before you start the wire. Even with the correct information your wire can take from 24 hours to more than 10 days to reach its destination.

How to receive a wire transfer

The currency a sender uses to submit a wire affects the information you need to give them. But the rules about true and complete information don’t change. Those apply no matter where a wire transfer starts or what currency the sender uses.

Tip! Ask us to check the information before you give it to the sender. We'll review that it's correct and complete!

Receiving a wire in Canadian dollars

If you're receiving a wire in Canadian dollars, you need to give this information to the sender so they can put it on the wire. Their wire may not reach you if any of this information is missing or incorrect.

The sender must also include their full legal name, physical address and account number on the wire. If there's a third party instructing the wire to be transmitted, we'll need the information on the third party.

Receiving a wire in U.S. dollars

Note: Cannabis entities are not eligible to send or receive US wires.

If you're receiving a wire in U.S. dollars, the information needed is different. This is because Servus doesn’t receive U.S. wires directly. Instead, they go through our wires provider, Western Union.

To receive a wire in U.S. dollars, you need to give this information to the sender so they can include it on the wire. Their wire may not reach you if any of this information is missing or incorrect.

The sender must also include their full legal name, physical address and account number on the wire. If there's a third party instructing the wire to be transmitted, we'll need the information on the third party.

International wires

If you're sending or receiving an international wire transfer, you can download a checklist of the information you'll need to provide to your branch.

Receiving an international wire transfer? Download the incoming international wires checklist [PDF].

Sending an international wire transfer? Download the outgoing international wires checklist [PDF].

Servus collects this information for regulatory reporting requirements. Providing as much information as possible will also increase the likelihood of a successful wire transfer.

Frequently asked questions

What is a physical address?

A physical address is the actual location of a home or business. In Canada, it must include a house or building number, street name or number, town or city, province and a postal code (if applicable). It can be the same as your mailing address if your mail is delivered right to your home or business. If your mail is delivered to a post office box or other location, then your mailing address is not your physical address. If you live on a Range Road you must also include your township or block number.

If your physical address is outside of Canada it must include the local equivalents of a Canadian address. For example, instead of province and postal code, a U.S. physical address must include the state and zip code. Physical addresses outside of Canada must also include the country.

Did you know? Servus is required by law to know your physical address. It's all part of Canada's efforts to detect and deter money laundering and other crimes in our country and around the world.

Where is my bank/branch information on my cheques?

You can get the details (name, address, phone number, route and transit) for your branch from your cheques. You can download a void cheque in online banking from the Account Quick Links dropdown in your Account Summary if you don't have any physical cheques.

• The branch name and address will be above the memo line.
• The route and transit will be in the series of numbers that run along the bottom. The route and transit for your Servus branch will be five numbers followed by a dash (-) and 899. (e.g., 12345-899).

What do I need to provide for "identification type and identification number"?

This refers to the type of identification used to verify your identity when sending the wire. It could be a driver's license or a passport, or any other accepted form of government ID.

What do I need to know about "third parties"?

First, determine if this is required. If someone else has instructed you to send or receive the wire (perhaps on their behalf), that person is considered the third party and we need their information as well. For example, Sam sends a wire to his niece Jessica who needs money for school. Jessica's mom is out of town and couldn't get to the bank so she asked her brother Sam to send it on her behalf. In this scenario Jessica's mom is a third party because she instructed Sam to send the wire for her.

If a third party is involved, you'll need to gather the following information on them to include with your wire:

• full legal name
• physical address
• phone number
• email address
• birthdate
• occupation
• relationship of third party
  (to person or entity who has sent or received a wire on their behalf)

Why am I being asked to provide 'source of funds' and 'purpose of transaction'?

In an effort to combat financial crime in Canada our federal regulator has implemented enhanced record keeping requirements for international Electronic Funds Transfers (wires) over $10,000 CAD. All financial institutions are required to comply with these regulations by obtaining the source of funds and the purpose of the transaction when sending or receiving international wires over $10,000.

We're here to help. If you have questions about wire transfers, you can call us at 1.877.378.8728 or visit your nearest branch.