Germany IBAN
A Germany IBAN is 22 characters long and Germany is in SEPA.
DE and two check digits open every Germany IBAN; its remaining 18 form the BBAN (Basic Bank Account Number).
Quick answer: A German IBAN is 22 characters long and starts with "DE" followed by two check digits, an 8-digit Bankleitzahl (BLZ, bank code), and a 10-digit account number padded with leading zeros. Example: DE89 3704 0044 0532 0130 00 (Commerzbank Köln, BLZ 37040044). Within the SEPA zone the IBAN alone is sufficient; for transfers originating outside SEPA you also need the bank's BIC/SWIFT code. German banks have had to receive SEPA instant euro transfers since 9 January 2025 and to send them since 9 October 2025, when the payee name check also began.
Example Germany IBAN
Electronic format
DE89370400440532013000
Print format
DE89 3704 0044 0532 0130 00
IBAN structure for Germany
Major banks in Germany
35 banks in Germany that support IBAN-based international transfers:
Format reference: SWIFT IBAN Registry.
Germany IBAN questions
Is Germany part of SEPA?
Yes — Germany founded the euro and SEPA replaced its domestic Überweisung and Lastschrift formats in 2014, so a German bank treats a SEPA payment from Lisbon or Dublin like one from Munich. The DE IBAN alone is enough for a euro credit transfer from any EU or EEA bank.
How do I find my IBAN in Germany?
Your DE IBAN is displayed in your bank's online banking (Onlinebanking) or mobile app. Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank, Sparkassen, and Volksbanken/Raiffeisenbanken all show the 22-character IBAN on the account overview. It also appears on your Kontoauszug (bank statement) and on the front of your Girocard (debit card).
What is a Bankleitzahl (BLZ) and how does it relate to the IBAN?
The Bankleitzahl is the 8-digit German bank routing code. It occupies positions 5–12 of a German IBAN: in the registry example DE89 3704 0044 0532 0130 00 it is 37040044, Commerzbank in Cologne. The old BLZ-plus-Kontonummer pair has been fully replaced by the IBAN for transfers.
Do I need a BIC code for transfers within Germany or the EU?
Not for a euro credit transfer from an EU or EEA bank: the DE IBAN is the whole instruction. Dollar wires from the US, payments from Asia and euro payments from a UK bank also need the bank's BIC, which the UK's non-EEA SEPA status requires.
Can a euro payment reach a German account instantly?
Yes, when the payer's bank sends it as a SEPA instant credit transfer. German banks have had to receive instant euro transfers since 9 January 2025 and to offer sending them since 9 October 2025; the same date brought the payee name check on every euro transfer.
Can Sparkassen, Volksbanken and online banks all receive international transfers via IBAN?
Yes. Sparkassen, Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken, commercial banks such as Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank, and online banks such as N26, DKB and ING Germany all use the same 22-character DE IBAN and receive both SEPA and SWIFT payments; the BLZ inside the IBAN identifies the institution.
Germany: the Bankleitzahl inside a DE IBAN, and instant euro credits
Germany's old domestic pair, the eight-digit Bankleitzahl (BLZ) and a Kontonummer, did not disappear with SEPA: the BLZ sits whole in positions 5 to 12 of every DE IBAN, so the IBAN itself tells a sender which Sparkasse, Volksbank or private bank holds the account. What changed most recently is speed and checking, both set by the EU's Instant Payments Regulation.
- Euro-area banks, German ones included, have had to accept SEPA instant credit transfers since 9 January 2025 and to offer sending them since 9 October 2025, per the ECB's timetable for the regulation. A euro payment from another SEPA country can therefore reach a DE IBAN within seconds, at any hour, when the payer chooses instant.
- Since 9 October 2025 the payer's bank also checks the name entered against the holder of the IBAN before the money leaves. A German recipient avoids a mismatch warning by giving the account name exactly as the bank records it, Umlaut and all.
- Lastschrift (SEPA Direct Debit) runs on the same IBAN: a creditor collecting rent, insurance or a subscription needs your DE IBAN and a signed Lastschriftmandat, and you can ask your bank to return an authorised debit within eight weeks of the debit date.
- Older German statements and invoices may still show BLZ and Kontonummer separately. Banks convert them to the IBAN, and the BLZ is a domestic code: it is not a BIC, and a sender abroad who asks for the BIC needs the bank's eight- or eleven-character BIC instead.
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