International Bank Account Number

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The International Bank Account Number (IBAN) is an international standard for identifying bank accounts across national borders. It was originally adopted by the European Committee for Banking Standards, and was later adopted as ISO 13616:1997 and now as ISO 13616:2003.

The IBAN was developed to facilitate payments within the European Union. Customers, especially individuals and SMEs, are frequently confused by differing national standards for bank account numbers. The IBAN is not yet used for routing, because the IBAN has not been widely adopted outside Europe, among other reasons. The ECBS expects that adoption may take up to ten years, so it remains necessary to use the current ISO 9362 Bank Identifier Code system (BIC or SWIFT code) in conjunction with the BBAN or IBAN.

At present, the United States does not participate in IBAN. Any U.S. participation in IBAN would likely be tied to the standards of the U.S. Automated Clearing House, since this is the only U.S. banking system that provides a fixed length for bank account numbers (17 digits).

The IBAN consists of a ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code, followed by two check digits (represented by kk in the examples below), and up to thirty alphanumeric characters for the domestic bank account number, called the BBAN (Basic Bank Account Number). It is up to each country's national banking community to decide on the length of the BBAN for accounts in that country, but its length must be fixed for any given country.

The IBAN must not contain spaces when stored electronically. When printed on paper, however, the norm is to express it in groups of four characters, the last group being of variable length.

[edit] Examples

  • Andorra (24 digits) IBAN format: ADkk BBBB SSSS CCCC CCCC CCCC
B = bank code, S = sort code, C = account No.
  • Austria (20) IBAN format: ATkk BBBB BCCC CCCC CCCC
B = bank code, C = account No.
  • Belgium (16) IBAN format: BEkk BBBC CCCC CCCC
The last 12 digits represent: B = bank code, C = account No.
B = bank code, S = sort code, C = account No., K = check digits
  • Bulgaria (22) IBAN format BGkk BBBB SSSS DDCC CCCC CC
B = alphanumeric bank code (first four letters of SWIFT BIC), S = Branch (BAE) number, D = numeric account type, C = alphanumeric account No. Introduced on June 5, 2006.
  • Croatia (21) IBAN format: HRkk BBBB BBBC CCCC CCCC C
B = bank code, C = account No.
  • Cyprus (28) IBAN format: CYkk BBBS SSSS CCCC CCCC CCCC CCCC
B = bank code, S = sort code, C = account No.
B = bank code, C = account No.
  • Denmark (18) IBAN format: DKkk BBBB CCCC CCCC CC
B = bank No., C = account No.
  • Estonia (20) IBAN format: EEkk BBBB CCCC CCCC CCCK
B = bank code, C = account No., K = check digit
Same as Denmark, except for the country code.
  • Finland (18) IBAN format: FIkk BBBB BBCC CCCC CK
B = bank code, branch number and account type, C = account No., K = check digit of the Finnish account numbering scheme.
  • France (27) IBAN format: FRkk BBBB BGGG GGCC CCCC CCCC CKK
B = bank code, G = code guichet (branch), C = account No.
  • Germany (22) IBAN format: DEkk BBBB BBBB CCCC CCCC CC
B = sort code (BLZ), C = account No.
  • Gibraltar (23) IBAN format: GIkk BBBB CCCC CCCC CCCC CCC
B = first part of BIC, C = account No.
  • Greece (27) IBAN format: GRkk BBB BBBB CCCC CCCC CCCC CCCC
K = check digits of the Greek account numbering scheme, B = bank code and branch number, C = account No.
Same as Denmark, except for the country code.
  • Hungary (28) IBAN format: HUkk BBBB BBBC CCCC CCCC CCCC CCCC
B = bank code, C = account No.
  • Iceland (26) IBAN format: ISkk BBBB CCCC CCCC XXXX XXXX XX
The first 4-digit group represents the bank code, the next two 4-digit goups represent the account and the last ten digits are the account holder's unique ID number, issued by the Bureau of Statistics.
The first 4 alphanumeric characters are the start of the SWIFT code. Then a 6 digit long routing code and an 8 digit account code follow, both numeric.
  • Italy (27) IBAN format: ITkk ABBB BBCC CCCX XXXX XXXX XXX
The first 11 alphanumeric characters represent the bank A is the CIN (or CIN BBAN to distinguish from "kk" called CIN IBAN), BBBBB is the ABI and CCCCC is the CAB, the last 12 digits the account.
  • Latvia (21) IBAN format: LVkk BBBB CCCC CCCC CCCC C
The first two letters (LV) means Latvia, next is 2 control digits, after bank's SWIFT code, next is account individual number (which can include both letters and numbers).
Same as Switzerland except for the country code.
  • Lithuania (20) IBAN format: LTkk BBBB BCCC CCCC CCCC
B = bank code, C = account No.
  • Luxembourg (20) IBAN format: LUkk BBBC CCCC CCCC CCCC
B = bank code, C = account No.
B = bank code, C = account No., K = check digits
  • Malta (31) IBAN format: MTkk BBBB SSSS SCCC CCCC CCCC CCCC CCC
B = fist part of BIC, S = sort code, C = account No.
  • Monaco (27) IBAN format: MCkk BBBB BGGG GGCC CCCC CCCC CKK
Same as France except for the country code.
  • Netherlands (sometimes referred to as Holland) (18) IBAN format: NLkk BBBB CCCC CCCC CC
The first 4 alphanumeric characters represent a bank and the last 10 digits an account.
  • Norway (15) IBAN format: NOkk BBBB CC CCCCC
The first 4 alphanumeric characters represent a bank and the last 11 digits an account.
  • Poland (28) IBAN format: PLkk BBBB BBBk CCCC CCCC CCCC CCCC
B = bank code (1-3 institution ID, 4-7 branch), C = account No., kk = check digits. There are no letters in the code. The single "k" after bank code is the now redundant check digit of the former system, preserved in IBAN.
  • Portugal (25) IBAN format: PTkk BBBB BBBB CCCC CCCC CCCK K
B = bank code (1-4 bank, 5-8 branch), C = account No., K = check digits
  • Romania (24) IBAN format: ROkk BBBB CCCC CCCC CCCC CCCC
The first 4 alphanumeric characters represent the bank; according to a rule established by the Romanian National Bank, the BBBB code must be the same with the first 4 characters of the bank's identifier code. The last 16 represent the specific bank branch and an account, combined any way the bank decides (typically the first 4 among the 16 identify the branch). Some banks include the ISO 4217 currency identifier somewhere in the account name.
  • San Marino (27) IBAN format: SMkk ABBB BBCC CCCX XXXX XXXX XXX
Same as Italy except for the country code.
  • Serbia (22) IBAN format: RSkk BBBC CCCC CCCC CCCC CC
B = bank code, C = account No.
  • Slovakia (24) IBAN format: SKkk BBBB CCCC CCCC CCCC CCCC
B = bank code, C = account No.
  • Slovenia (19) IBAN format: SIkk BB BBB CCCCCCCC KK
The first 2 BB digits represent a bank, the next 3 - the branch. The last 2 digits (KK) are the check digits. IBAN check digits (kk) for Slovenia are 5 and 6.
  • Spain (24) IBAN format: ESkk BBBB GGGG KKCC CCCC CCCC
B = bank code, G=Branch/office number, K=Check digits, C = account No.
  • Sweden (24) IBAN format: SEkk BBBB CCCC CCCC CCCC CCCC
The Bs represent the bank code and the Cs the account number.
  • Switzerland (21) IBAN format: CHkk BBBB BCCC CCCC CCCC C
B = bank code, C = account No.
  • Turkey (26) IBAN format: TRkk BBBB BRCC CCCC CCCC CCCC CC
The total number of alphanumeric characters including the country code and the check digits is 26. The first 5 digits represent a bank. The next alphanumeric character, reserved for future use, is set to zero. The following 16 alphanumeric characters represent the specific bank branch and an account. The issuing start date of the Turkish IBAN was: September 1, 2005 [1].
  • Tunisia (24) IBAN format: TNkk BBBB BCCC CCCC CCCC CCCC
B = bank code, C = account No.
B = alphabetical bank code, S = sort code (often a specific branch), C = account No.

[edit] External links

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