Holy See IBAN
A Holy See IBAN is 22 characters long and Holy See is in SEPA.
VA and two check digits open every Holy See IBAN; its remaining 18 form the BBAN (Basic Bank Account Number).
Example Holy See IBAN
Electronic format
VA59001123000012345678
Print format
VA59 0011 2300 0012 3456 78
IBAN structure for Holy See
Format reference: SWIFT IBAN Registry.
Holy See IBAN questions
Who can hold an account that receives payments in the Vatican?
Not the general public. The IOR says it accepts as customers only legal or natural persons who are members of the Catholic Church or serve it. A 2016 Holy See press note listed its customers as Holy See bodies, religious orders, other Catholic institutions, clergy, Holy See employees and the accredited diplomatic corps.
When did the Holy See join SEPA?
The EPC extended SEPA to the Vatican City State and Holy See from 1 March 2019, the same day as Andorra. The EPC deems an entity incorporated in the Vatican and authorised by the Financial Information Authority under Regulation 1/2014 automatically eligible to adhere, a test its list of December 2025 still cites.
Does Vatican financial law follow EU rules?
In the fields the monetary agreement covers. The IOR says Vatican legislation is aligned with European legislation by virtue of the 2009 agreement and that it applies the same anti-money-laundering controls as other European banking institutions. The agreement commits the Vatican to implement listed EU acts on euro cash, money laundering, counterfeiting and fraud involving payment instruments, and statistical reporting.
Holy See and Vatican City: euro agreement, ASIF and the IOR
Vatican City State uses the euro under a Monetary Agreement with the EU signed in Brussels on 17 December 2009, which took effect on 1 January 2010 and replaced an agreement of 29 December 2000. Euro notes and coins are legal tender there, and the Vatican may issue no banknote, coin or monetary surrogate unless the conditions are agreed with the EU. Before the euro, its monetary link was a 1991 convention with Italy.
- The agreement assumes the Vatican has no banking sector: EU banking and financial law is to be added to its obligations only if and when one is created. Financial institutions located there may still use the euro area's payment and settlement systems, on terms the Bank of Italy determines in agreement with the European Central Bank.
- The Istituto per le Opere di Religione (IOR) says it is the only Vatican entity authorised by ASIF to carry out financial activities, under authorisation no. 1 of 10 July 2015. It has no branches or subsidiaries. Its current accounts work in ten currencies and send transfers through SEPA and SWIFT.
- ASIF, the Supervisory and Financial Information Authority, was the Financial Information Authority until a statute of 5 December 2020 renamed it, reflecting its supervision of the IOR since 2013 alongside financial intelligence. Pope Leo XIV approved a new statute on 25 June 2026, calling ASIF the competent authority for financial supervision, regulation and oversight, and financial intelligence.
Sources: EUR-Lex: EU-Vatican City Monetary Agreement (OJ C 28, 4 Feb 2010); IOR: frequently asked questions; Holy See Press Office: new ASIF statute (5 Dec 2020); Vatican: chirograph approving the ASIF statute (25 Jun 2026).
France
Sweden
Slovakia
United Kingdom
Switzerland
Greece