IBAN lookup by country and bank

An International Bank Account Number (IBAN) is a standardised format for identifying bank accounts across national borders. It was originally developed to facilitate payments within the European Union; our format list covers 89 countries that issue one. An IBAN number does not replace your account: it is your domestic bank code and account number (the BBAN) with a country code and two check digits added in front, so a bank abroad can route the payment and catch a mistyped digit before it is sent.

An IBAN consists of up to 34 alphanumeric characters: a two-letter country code, two check digits, and the Basic Bank Account Number (BBAN) which includes the domestic bank code and account number. The check digits allow a sending bank to validate the account before processing a transfer, reducing errors and failed payments.

IBAN length varies by country — for example, Norway uses 15 characters while Malta uses 31. When sending money internationally, providing the correct IBAN ensures your transfer reaches the right account quickly. Incorrect IBANs can result in delays, returned payments, and additional fees.

How to read an IBAN

Every IBAN follows the same pattern. Take the SWIFT IBAN Registry's German example, DE89 3704 0044 0532 0130 00:

• DE — two-letter ISO country code (Germany)
• 89 — two check digits, calculated from the rest of the IBAN to catch typos
• 37040044 — eight-digit bank code (Bankleitzahl) identifying the bank
• 0532013000 — ten-digit domestic account number

Spaces shown in the print format (groups of four characters) are for readability only — they are stripped when sending electronically.

How to find your IBAN

Your IBAN appears on your bank statement and in your bank's app or online banking, usually under “account details”. Your bank can also provide it on request. Each country's IBAN has a fixed length, so the checker at the top of this page can tell you whether a number has the right length and check digits for its country code.

IBAN vs SWIFT/BIC code

While an IBAN identifies a specific bank account, a SWIFT/BIC code identifies the bank itself. For international transfers, you typically need both. The IBAN ensures the money reaches the right account, while the SWIFT code routes the payment to the correct bank. Some countries, like the United States, do not use IBANs and rely on routing numbers instead.

Common IBAN mistakes to avoid

The check digits catch a single mistyped character and most swapped pairs, so a typo is usually rejected before the payment leaves. What they cannot catch is a valid IBAN that belongs to someone else: an old IBAN after a bank merger or account change, a number copied from the wrong document, or one sent by a fraudster posing as the recipient. Copy the IBAN from the recipient's own bank details and confirm the account holder's name, because a payment that reaches the wrong valid account is hard to recover.

When do you need an IBAN?

It depends on where the receiving account is, not where the money comes from. If the account is in one of the 89 countries that issue IBANs, the sender needs that IBAN — even when paying from the US or Canada, where accounts have none. If the account is in a country without IBANs, such as the US, Canada, Australia or India, the sender uses the local account details and the bank's SWIFT/BIC code instead. Within SEPA, euro payments — domestic ones included — are made to an IBAN.