France IBAN
A France IBAN is 27 characters long and France is in SEPA.
FR and two check digits open every France IBAN; its remaining 23 form the BBAN (Basic Bank Account Number).
Quick answer: A French IBAN is 27 characters long and starts with "FR" followed by two check digits, a 5-digit bank code, a 5-digit branch code (code guichet), an 11-character account number, and a 2-digit national RIB key. Example: FR14 2004 1010 0505 0001 3M02 606. Within SEPA the IBAN alone is sufficient; non-SEPA senders also need the BIC. French banks (BNP Paribas, Société Générale, Crédit Agricole, La Banque Postale) display the IBAN on every RIB (Relevé d'Identité Bancaire).
Example France IBAN
Electronic format
FR1420041010050500013M02606
Print format
FR14 2004 1010 0505 0001 3M02 606
IBAN structure for France
Major banks in France
14 banks in France that support IBAN-based international transfers:
Format reference: SWIFT IBAN Registry.
France IBAN questions
Is France part of SEPA?
Yes. France is a founding member of both the euro and SEPA, and a virement SEPA from another EU or EEA bank needs only your 27-character FR IBAN. The French overseas departments — Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Réunion and Mayotte — use FR IBANs too, while Monaco, also in SEPA, has its own MC prefix.
How do I find my IBAN in France?
Your FR IBAN is displayed in your bank's online banking (espace client) or mobile app. BNP Paribas, Societe Generale, Credit Agricole, and La Banque Postale all show the 27-character IBAN on the account details page. It also appears on your RIB (Releve d'Identite Bancaire), which you can download or print from your online banking.
What is a RIB and how does it relate to the French IBAN?
A RIB (Relevé d'Identité Bancaire) is the French document that identifies a bank account: code banque, code guichet, numéro de compte and clé RIB. All four sit inside the French IBAN, so when someone asks for your RIB, sending the document or the IBAN it prints is equivalent.
Do I need a BIC code for SEPA transfers to France?
No. For SEPA credit transfers within the EU and EEA only the FR IBAN is required. A payer outside SEPA — in the US or Asia, say — should add your bank's BIC, and a UK payer needs it too, as a non-EEA SEPA member.
Why did my bank warn me the name does not match a French IBAN?
Since 9 October 2025 French banks check the beneficiary name against the account holder before a virement leaves. A warning means the recipient's bank holds a different name, often a company's legal name rather than its brand; confirm the details with the recipient before you proceed.
What are common mistakes when sharing a French IBAN?
Mixing up the clé RIB (the last two digits) with the IBAN check digits after FR, sending only the domestic account number without FR and the bank and branch codes, and swapping the code banque with the code guichet. At 27 characters the French IBAN is among the longest in SEPA, so transposed digits are more likely.
France: the RIB, and the name check on every virement
A French IBAN is the RIB with FR and two check digits in front: code banque, code guichet, numéro de compte and the two-digit clé RIB all sit inside its 27 characters. French landlords, employers and utilities still ask for a RIB, the bank document that prints the IBAN and BIC together.
- Since 9 October 2025 a French bank checks, before a SEPA virement leaves, that the beneficiary name typed in matches the holder of the IBAN, by asking the beneficiary's bank: first name and surname for a person, the legal or trade name for a company or association. A mismatch raises an alert, the payer can still proceed, and the check is free.
- For a prélèvement SEPA (direct debit) to EDF, a water company, an insurer or a phone operator, the creditor needs your FR IBAN on a signed mandat de prélèvement; a wrong digit gets the mandate rejected by your bank.
- The overseas departments (Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Réunion and Mayotte) use FR IBANs too, while Monaco, also in SEPA, has its own MC prefix: check the first two letters when a French-speaking supplier sends bank details.
Sources: INC: virements, du nouveau le 9 octobre; ECB: Instant Payments Regulation timetable.
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