What is a SWIFT code?

A SWIFT code is the everyday name for a BIC, or Business Identifier Code. It is defined by the international standard ISO 9362, and Swift, the network banks use to send each other payment messages, is the official body that issues the codes. In an international bank transfer, the SWIFT code tells the banks along the way which institution the money is going to.

Every SWIFT code has the same structure. Here it is on a real example, DEUTDEFFXXX (Deutsche Bank's head office in Frankfurt):

• Characters 1–4, the institution. The official name is the "business party prefix". Older guides call it the "bank code", which is one reason people mix the two terms up.
• Characters 5–6, the country: the two-letter ISO country code, such as NG for Nigeria or GB for the UK.
• Characters 7–8, the location (officially the "business party suffix").
• Characters 9–11, the branch, which is optional. XXX, or leaving it out, usually means the main office.

Not every institution with a BIC can send messages over Swift. Swift issues both connected BICs, which can use the network, and non-connected BICs, which are used for reference only.

What is a bank code?

"Bank code" is a general term, not one code. Each country that needs one designs its own, for its own payment systems. Some identify just the bank, some identify the branch, and some are built into the account number itself. Here are the ones we have checked against official sources:

Some countries' fast-payment systems need no bank code at all. The account number or a phone-linked alias is enough. Our What Bank Details Do I Need? tool covers the full list.

The trap: three different things people call a "bank code"

When a form or a sender asks for your "bank code", find out which of these they mean before you answer:

• 1. Your country's domestic bank or branch codeSuch as a US routing number or a UK sort code. This is the most common meaning, and the one this guide compares with SWIFT.
• 2. The first four characters of a SWIFT codeOlder guides and some forms call the institution part of a BIC (DEUT in DEUTDEFF) the "bank code". If a field is exactly four letters long, this is probably what it wants.
• 3. A bank's USSD or app shortcodeIn Nigeria, a bank's USSD code (such as *966# for Zenith Bank) is sometimes loosely called its "bank code". It is for mobile banking on your phone and is never used to route a payment. See our Nigerian bank USSD codes.

For Nigerian users

Nigerian banks have several codes, which is why "bank code" causes so much confusion here:

• The 3-digit CBN bank code, such as 057 for Zenith Bank. The Central Bank of Nigeria's NUBAN standard uses it, together with the first nine digits of your account number, to calculate the account number's last digit (the check digit). Your bank app fills it in when you choose the recipient's bank, so you rarely type it yourself.
• A 6-digit institution code used for interbank transfers, such as 000013 for GTBank. It is a different number from the 3-digit code.
• The SWIFT code, which you need to receive money from abroad by bank transfer. A Nigerian SWIFT code has NG in characters 5 and 6.

Receiving money from abroad into a Nigerian account? Give the sender your full name as it appears on the account, your 10-digit account number, your bank's name and your bank's SWIFT code, plus the bank's address if they ask. You don't need to give the 3-digit or 6-digit code. If a form asks for a "sort code" for a Nigerian bank, ask your bank which code it means. Money sent through a money transfer company is paid out in naira, usually needs only local details, and follows different rules.

Not all Nigerian institutions have a SWIFT code of their own. If yours doesn't, ask it how to receive international payments.

How to find and check a code

1. Ask the bank, or look in your banking app or on a statement. Many banks list their SWIFT code on their website's international transfers page. This is the most reliable source.
2. Check the format. Our SWIFT code checker tests the length, the characters and the country code, and looks the code up in a published list of registered institutions. The country checkers in the table above do the same for national codes.
3. Match the code to the right bank and branch. Some banks use the main-office SWIFT code for all international payments, while others use branch codes. If in doubt, use the code the bank gives you.
4. Confirm the account with the recipient. A code that is valid in format can still belong to a different bank than you think, and it never proves who owns the account.

Common mistakes

• Putting a domestic code in the SWIFT field. A 6- or 9-digit number is never a SWIFT code. SWIFT codes always contain letters, and characters 5–6 are always a country code.
• Using the SWIFT code of the wrong bank. Many banks have similar names, and a bank's parent company or partner abroad has a different code.
• Thinking the code identifies the person. Neither a bank code nor a SWIFT code identifies the account. The account number and name do.
• Confusing a USSD code with a bank code. *737#-style codes are for phone banking only.
• Copying a code from an unofficial list without checking it. Codes change when banks merge or restructure. Check with the bank.

A wrong code can get a payment held, returned or, rarely, credited to the wrong place. See why Swift payments are returned.

Sources

• Swift, Business Identifier Code (BIC): ISO 9362 structure (business party prefix, country code, business party suffix, optional branch identifier); connected and non-connected BICs. Checked 24 September 2026.
• ISO, ISO 9362 Business identifier code (BIC).
• Central Bank of Nigeria, Proposals on the implementation of NUBAN (3-digit bank codes and the check-digit method), as applied in our NUBAN validator.
• National code formats: the official sources cited on each linked country checker, summarised on What Bank Details Do I Need?

Last reviewed 24 September 2026. Spot an error? Tell us through our corrections page.