IBAN Validator & Generator
An IBAN (International Bank Account Number) is a standardised way to identify a bank account internationally. It contains your country code, check digits, bank code, and account number in one string.
Validate any IBAN from 87 countries with full MOD-97 verification, or generate your IBAN from local account details. Free, instant, no signup.
Paste with or without spaces. Country code first (e.g. GB, DE, FR).
Select a country above to see the required fields.
Got your IBAN verified? Send money internationally at the mid-market rate:
What Is an IBAN Number?
IBAN stands for International Bank Account Number. It is a standardised format created by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO 13616) to uniquely identify a bank account anywhere in the world. Before IBANs, sending money across borders was messy because every country used different account number formats. An IBAN solves this by wrapping your local account details in a consistent international wrapper.
Every IBAN starts with a two-letter country code, followed by two check digits, followed by a BBAN (Basic Bank Account Number) that contains the bank identifier, branch code, and account number in a format specific to that country. A UK IBAN is 22 characters. A German IBAN is 22 characters too. A French IBAN is 27. The length varies by country but the structure is always the same.
The check digits are not random. They are calculated using a mathematical formula called MOD-97, and they exist specifically to catch typos before money moves. This validator runs that exact check on any IBAN you paste in.
How to Read an IBAN: Decoding Each Segment
Take the example IBAN GB29 NWBK 6016 1331 9268 19. Strip the spaces and you have 22 characters. Here is what each part means:
German IBANs embed the BLZ (bank routing number) and account number. French IBANs contain the bank code, branch code (called guichet), account number, and a 2-digit national check key. Each country has its own BBAN structure but the outer IBAN wrapper is always consistent.
IBAN vs SWIFT Code vs Routing Number
These three things confuse almost everyone, including people who send money regularly. Here is the quick version:
IBAN identifies the specific account you want to credit. It is account-level. If you are receiving money from Europe, or from any IBAN country, give the sender your IBAN.
SWIFT code (BIC) identifies the bank, not the account. It tells the international banking network which institution to route the transfer to. For SEPA transfers within Europe, IBAN alone is enough. For transfers from outside Europe (say, from Nigeria or the US), you usually need both IBAN and SWIFT.
Routing number is the US and Canada equivalent of a sort code. It identifies the bank and branch for domestic ACH and wire transfers. US banks do not have IBANs. If you are sending money to the US, you use the recipient's routing number and account number, not an IBAN.
Countries That Use IBAN
As of 2024, 87 countries have officially adopted the IBAN standard. All EU member states use it, as do Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, the UK, Turkey, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and many others. Pakistan adopted IBAN in 2022, making it one of the more recent additions. The United States, Canada, Australia, and most of Asia Pacific do not use IBAN for domestic banking.
SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) covers 36 countries including all EU states plus the UK, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and a few others. Within SEPA, you can make euro transfers using just the IBAN, with no SWIFT code required, and transfers typically arrive within one business day.
UK users: Use our UK Sort Code Validator to verify your sort code before generating your IBAN. For sending abroad, check UK Bank SWIFT Codes to find your bank's BIC.
IBAN format data sourced from ISO 13616-1:2020 and SWIFT's IBAN Registry. Validation runs entirely in your browser. No data is sent to any server. Last updated: January 2025.
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Frequently Asked Questions
IBAN stands for International Bank Account Number. It is a standardised format for identifying a bank account internationally. An IBAN contains a two-letter country code, two check digits calculated using the MOD-97 algorithm, and a BBAN that includes the bank code, branch code, and account number in a format specific to each country. IBANs are used in 87 countries and are essential for SEPA transfers across Europe.
Your IBAN is usually shown in your bank's mobile app under account details, on your paper bank statement, or by logging into online banking. In the UK, your IBAN is 22 characters and starts with GB. In Germany it starts with DE and is 22 characters. If you cannot find it in your app, use the Generate tab in this tool to calculate it from your sort code and account number.
87 countries use the IBAN system as of 2024. All EU member states use IBAN, along with Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, the UK, Turkey, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Pakistan (since 2022), Brazil, and many others. The United States and Canada do not use IBAN for domestic payments.
You can calculate what your IBAN should be using the standard algorithm, which is what this tool does. Your bank holds the authoritative version. Generated IBANs are mathematically correct but should always be confirmed with your bank before sharing with a sender, especially for high-value transfers. The format is defined by ISO 13616 and is deterministic.
An IBAN fails validation for one of several reasons: it may be the wrong length for the country (most common cause), the first two characters may not be a recognised country code, it may contain invalid characters, or the MOD-97 checksum may fail. A failed checksum almost always means one digit has been mistyped. It does not mean the account does not exist.
If you are in a country that uses IBAN, then yes. Anyone sending you an international bank transfer will need your IBAN and your bank's SWIFT/BIC code. For SEPA transfers within Europe, the IBAN alone is usually sufficient. For transfers from outside Europe, you typically also need your bank's SWIFT code and sometimes the bank address.
An IBAN identifies a specific bank account. A SWIFT code (BIC) identifies the bank itself. To receive an international wire transfer, you need both: your IBAN tells the sender which account to credit, and the SWIFT code tells the banking network which bank to route the funds to. For SEPA payments within the eurozone, IBAN alone is enough and no SWIFT code is required.
