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What is an IBAN Number & How To Find It? With Examples

IBAN Number

An International Bank Account Number (IBAN) is an international numbering system used to recognize bank accounts in relation to cross-border payments.

The IBAN format was implemented by the European Central Bank (ECB) for banking standards in order to simplify transactions involving bank accounts from other countries.

In addition to its primary function as an identification number for bank accounts, the IBAN serves as a powerful tool for ensuring the accuracy of transaction information.

If you own a business and are making payments internationally, then at some point you will come across something called an "IBAN number". An International Bank Account Number, better known as an IBAN Number, is an international numbering system used to recognize bank accounts in relation to cross-border payments. Knowing your beneficiary’s IBAN is what you need to make sure your transnational payment arrives safely at its destination.

This article aims to answer all of your questions related to IBAN based on our experience in the payment services industry. We will also provide tips and tools to help you check, validate and calculate an IBAN. Without further ado, let's get into it!


What is an IBAN?

Before it was created different standards for bank account identification across countries were confusing and the source of many transaction errors.

For countries that have applied IBAN, transaction errors have been reduced to under 0.1% of the total number of transfers.

To give a little background on where the International Bank Account Number originates, it was initially implemented by the European Central Bank (ECB) for banking standards to overcome these international payment difficulties.

Initially, the system was developed to facilitate the processing of cross-border money transfers within the EU.

As banks gradually adopted it beyond the EU, it was made an international standard under ISO 13616:1997.

Currently, the scheme has been employed by most European countries and several other countries worldwide, namely in the Middle East and the Caribbean.

A complete list of these countries is provided at the end of this article.

Another 25 countries are currently conducting partial/experimental use of the IBAN system.

Many major countries do not use the IBAN system, including the USA, Canada, Australia, China, and Japan.

However, all these countries recognize the system and process IBAN payments.

How do you recognize an IBAN number?

It is a series of up to 34 characters, including both letters and numbers.

The IBAN Number is not the same as the bank account number.

Actually, it includes the bank account number, plus some more characters that identify the country and bank you’re sending money to.

The IBAN number contains:

  • Two-letter country identification code
  • Two check digits
  • Up to 30 characters for the Basic Bank Account Number (known as BBAN). Each country decides the BBAN format to cater to its national standard for domestic payments.

Let’s have a look at what an IBAN Number looks like:

Example of French IBAN Number format

Example of French IBAN Bank number Format

Example of UK IBAN Number format

Example of UK IBAN number format

SWIFT/BIC vs. IBAN

SWIFT/BIC and IBAN are both internationally acknowledged banking standards used for cross-border payments.

However, there are some key differences between those international transfer systems:

  • The SWIFT system was created before any initial attempts to homogenize international banking transfers through IBAN. Today, SWIFT is the largest international payment system worldwide.
  • The most significant difference lies in what they identify. Each IBAN pinpoints an individual account in a given bank in a given country. Each SWIFT/BIC code identifies a bank or a financial institution in an international transaction. Both information actually complements each other when a cross-border payment is made to a country participating in the IBAN system: proper routing of the transaction will be subject to providing the correct SWIFT/BIC code and IBAN in the payment details.
  • Unlike BIC/SWIFT codes, IBAN codes aren’t assigned by a central organization. They are directly issued by the banks according to a format described in the IBAN Structure.
  • SWIFT/BIC codes contain a mix of numbers and letters, and they are always 8 or 11 characters.
  • As a result, the SWIFT/BIC code is always required to process a transaction and the IBAN information is provided to locate the beneficiary bank account in countries participating in the IBAN system.

💡Tips: When it comes to international payments, SWIFT and BIC are used interchangeably.

How do you find the IBAN number?

In order to find your IBAN number, here are the steps:

  1. Check your bank statement: Your IBAN number is usually printed on your bank statement, along with your account number and sort code.
  2. Check your online banking: Log in to your online banking account and navigate to the account information section. Your IBAN number should be listed there
  3. Contact your bank: If you are unable to find your IBAN number using the above methods, contact your bank's customer service. They will be able to provide you with the information you need.

Make sure you have the correct IBAN number when making international transfers as any payment instructions made using the wrong IBAN will cause the payment to be delayed and rejected.

You can also expect your bank to charge a fee for the inaccurate payment.

In case you only have part of your beneficiary’s IBAN, you may want to find out the missing pieces by using an IBAN calculator.

We have tried this tool on multiple occasions, and it was reliable in providing the correct IBAN Number.

Believe it or not, it is pretty common for beneficiaries to provide their payment details with an invalid IBAN.

To do so, you can use an IBAN checker that will help you flag any potential errors.

By following these simple steps, you can easily find your IBAN number and ensure smooth international money transfers.

⚠️Disclaimer: These are external tools so we do not guarantee they will be accurate at all times. Please use them at your own discretion.

List of IBAN Numbers by Country

CountryCodeSEPALengthAccount CheckBranchIBAN Example
AlbaniaALNo28✔AL35202111090000000001234567
AndorraADYes24✔AD1400080001001234567890
AustriaATYes20✔✔AT483200000012345864
AzerbaijanAZNo28AZ96AZEJ00000000001234567890
BahrainBHNo22BH02CITI00001077181611
BelarusBYNo28BY86AKBB10100000002966000000
BelgiumBEYes16✔✔BE71096123456769
Bosnia and HerzegovinaBANo20✔✔BA393385804800211234
BrazilBRNo29✔BR1500000000000010932840814P2
BulgariaBGYes22✔BG18RZBB91550123456789
Costa RicaCRNo22✔CR23015108410026012345
CroatiaHRYes21✔HR1723600001101234565
CyprusCYYes28✔CY21002001950000357001234567
Czech RepublicCZYes24✔CZ5508000000001234567899
DenmarkDKYes18✔DK9520000123456789
Dominican RepublicDONo28DO22ACAU00000000000123456789
EgyptEGNo29EG800002000156789012345180002
El SalvadorSVNo28SV43ACAT00000000000000123123
EstoniaEEYes20✔✔EE471000001020145685
Faroe IslandsFONo18✔FO9264600123456789
FinlandFIYes18✔✔FI1410093000123458
FranceFRYes27✔✔FR7630006000011234567890189
GeorgiaGENo22GE60NB0000000123456789
GermanyDEYes22✔✔DE75512108001245126199
GibraltarGIYes23✔GI04BARC000001234567890
GreeceGRYes27✔GR9608100010000001234567890
GreenlandGLNo18✔GL8964710123456789
GuatemalaGTNo28GT20AGRO00000000001234567890
Holy See (the)VAYes22VA59001123000012345678
HungaryHUYes28✔✔HU93116000060000000012345676
IcelandISYes26✔✔IS750001121234563108962099
IraqIQNo23IQ20CBIQ861800101010500
IrelandIEYes22✔✔IE64IRCE92050112345678
IsraelILNo23✔IL170108000000012612345
ItalyITYes27✔✔IT60X0542811101000000123456
JordanJONo30✔JO71CBJO0000000000001234567890
KazakhstanKZNo20KZ563190000012344567
KosovoXKNo20✔✔XK051212012345678906
KuwaitKWNo30KW81CBKU0000000000001234560101
LatviaLVYes21LV97HABA0012345678910
LebanonLBNo28LB92000700000000123123456123
LiechtensteinLIYes21✔✔LI7408806123456789012
LithuaniaLTYes20✔LT601010012345678901
LuxembourgLUYes20LU120010001234567891
MaltaMTYes31✔MT31MALT01100000000000000000123
MauritaniaMRNo27✔✔MR1300020001010000123456753
MauritiusMUNo30✔MU43BOMM0101123456789101000MUR
MoldovaMDNo24MD21EX000000000001234567
MonacoMCYes27✔✔MC5810096180790123456789085
MontenegroMENo22✔ME25505000012345678951
NetherlandsNLYes18✔✔NL02ABNA0123456789
North MacedoniaMKNo19✔MK07200002785123453
NorwayNOYes15✔✔NO8330001234567
PakistanPKNo24PK36SCBL0000001123456702
PalestinePSNo29PS92PALS000000000400123456702
PolandPLYes28✔✔PL10105000997603123456789123
PortugalPTYes25✔✔PT50002700000001234567833
QatarQANo29QA54QNBA000000000000693123456
RomaniaROYes24RO09BCYP0000001234567890
Saint LuciaLCNo32LC14BOSL123456789012345678901234
San MarinoSMYes27✔✔SM76P0854009812123456789123
Sao Tome and PrincipeSTNo25ST23000200000289355710148
Saudi ArabiaSANo24SA4420000001234567891234
SerbiaRSNo22✔RS35105008123123123173
SeychellesSCNo31SC52BAHL01031234567890123456USD
Slovak RepublicSKYes24✔SK8975000000000012345671
SloveniaSIYes19✔✔SI56192001234567892
SpainESYes24✔✔ES7921000813610123456789
SwedenSEYes24✔✔SE7280000810340009783242
SwitzerlandCHYes21✔✔CH5604835012345678009
Timor-LesteTLNo23✔TL380010012345678910106
TunisiaTNNo24✔✔TN5904018104004942712345
TurkeyTRNo26✔TR320010009999901234567890
UkraineUANo29✔UA903052992990004149123456789
United Arab EmiratesAENo23AE460090000000123456789
United KingdomGBYes22✔✔GB33BUKB20201555555555
Virgin Islands, BritishVGNo24VG21PACG0000000123456789

When is an IBAN number required?

IBAN is needed when you make a cross-border payment and the bank of your beneficiary is located in a country participating in the IBAN system.

When instructing the payment, it must be entered in the field reserved for the beneficiary’s account number, without spaces.

In addition to the IBAN number, you will need at the very least the following information to instruct the payment to your beneficiary:

Depending on your bank you may be requested additional information such as the beneficiary’s bank name, the bank address, and the beneficiary’s address.

What happens if you used the wrong IBAN number?

If you happen to instruct an international payment with the wrong IBAN, your payment will be rejected by the beneficiary bank and your bank will also charge you a fee to retrieve it. This is why using the correct IBAN can save you both time and money in the long run.

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FAQs

How do I find my IBAN number?

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Is IBAN number same as SWIFT code?

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