International Bank Account Number

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The International Bank Account Number (IBAN) is an international standard for identifying bank accounts across national borders. It was originally adopted by the European Committee for Banking Standards, and was later adopted as an international standard under ISO 13616:1997 and now as ISO 13616:2007. The official IBAN registrar under ISO 13616:2003 is SWIFT and the IBAN registry is currently at SWIFT.

The IBAN was originally developed to facilitate payments within the European Union but the format is flexible enough to be applied globally.

The IBAN consists of a ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code, followed by two check digits and up to thirty alphanumeric characters for the domestic bank account number (incorporating routing information), called the BBAN (Basic Bank Account Number). It is up to each country's national banking community to decide on the length of the BBAN for accounts in that country, but its length must be fixed for any given country.

The IBAN should not contain spaces when transmitted electronically. However, when printed on paper, the IBAN is expressed in groups of four characters separated by a single space, the last group being of variable length.

Contents

[edit] Background

Before IBAN, customers, especially individuals & SMEs, used to be confused by the differing national standards for bank account identification such as bank, branch, routing codes and account number. This often led to necessary routing information being missing from payments. Furthermore routing information did not contain check digits,[clarification needed] so simple errors of transcription were not detectable and it was not possible for a sending bank to validate the routing information prior to submitting the payment. Routing errors were therefore frequent causing payments to be delayed and incurred extra costs to the sending and receiving banks and often to intermediate routing banks also.

IBAN imposes a flexible but regular format sufficient for account identification and contains validation information to avoid errors of transcription.

The standard IBAN now carries all the routing information needed to get a payment from one bank to another wherever it may be. IBAN contains check digiting which can be validated in any country according to a single standard procedure. The IBAN contains all the key bank account details such as Bank Identifier Codes, sort codes and checksums and where used has reduced trans-national money transfer errors to under 0.1% of total payments.

In this way, the validity of a routing destination can be validated by the sending bank (or its customer) from a single string of data which contains all the necessary routing data to get money into the destination account and routing errors in international (or cross-border) payments are therefore virtually eliminated.

Examples of IBANs in written format.

Greek IBAN: GR16 0110 1050 0000 1054 7023 795
British IBAN: GB35 MIDL 4025 3432 1446 70
Swiss IBAN: CH51 0868 6001 2565 1500 1
Israeli IBAN: IL30 0113 0300 0009 6339 234

[edit] Geographical usage

All banks in Europe (except for the Commonwealth of Independent States) provide an IBAN identifier for their accounts as well as nationally recognised identifiers. In addition, Israel, Tunisia, Mauritius, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia also provide IBAN format account identifiers.

Banks in the British dependencies (except Gibraltar and the Crown Dependencies) do not use the IBAN format, but this may be due to internal banking regulatory issues. Banks in the Dutch West Indies also do not use the IBAN format. Some banks outside Europe may not recognize IBAN, though as time passes this is expected to diminish. Non-European banks typically accept IBANs as bank account numbers for accounts in Europe, although they might not treat IBANs differently to the way they treat other foreign bank account numbers. In particular, they might choose not to check that the IBAN is valid prior to sending the payment.

In the absence of an IBAN it remains necessary to use the current ISO 9362 Bank Identifier Code system (BIC or SWIFT code) in conjunction with the BBAN.

Banks in the United States do not provide IBAN format account numbers. Any adoption of the IBAN standard by U.S. banks would likely be initiated by ANSI ASC X9, the U.S. financial services standards development organization but to date it has not done so. Hence payments to U.S. bank accounts from outside the U.S. are prone to errors of routing.

Canadian Credit Unions as a rule don't use SWIFT or IBAN for transferring money. Canadian banks (mainly because of historical trading ties to the European Union) generally do use IBAN on a limited basis.[citation needed] If you don't have a commercial banking account some extra effort is required in order to use the SWIFT transfer system in Canada. There is no formal governmental or private sector regulatory requirement in Canada for the major banks to use the SWIFT system or IBAN routing codes.

Banks in Australia and New Zealand have not adopted IBAN, and tend to use Bank State Branch codes for domestic transfers and SWIFT for international.

[edit] Examples

Note: kk after the two character ISO country code represents the check digits calculated from the rest of the IBAN characters

  • Albania (28 digits) IBAN format: ALkk BBBB BBBB CCCC CCCC CCCC CCCC
B = bank code, C = account No.
  • Andorra (24 digits) IBAN format: ADkk BBBB SSSS CCCC CCCC CCCC
B = bank code, S = sort code, C = account No.
  • Austria (20) IBAN format: ATkk BBBB BCCC CCCC CCCC
B = bank code, C = account No.
  • Belgium (16) IBAN format: BEkk BBBC CCCC CCKK
The last 12 digits represent: B = bank code (numeric), C = account No., K = check digits
B = bank code, S = sort code, C = account No., K = check digits
  • Bulgaria (22) IBAN format: BGkk BBBB SSSS DDCC CCCC CC
B = alphanumeric bank code (first four letters of SWIFT BIC), S = Branch (BAE) number, D = numeric account type, C = alphanumeric account No. Introduced on June 5, 2006.
B = bank code, C = account No.
  • Cyprus (28) IBAN format: CYkk BBBS SSSS CCCC CCCC CCCC CCCC
B = bank code, S = sort code, C = account No.
B = bank code, S = sort code, C = account No.
  • Denmark (18) IBAN format: DKkk BBBB CCCC CCCC CC
B = bank No., C = account No.
(Separate application in Faroe Islands and Greenland, see separate entries)
  • Estonia (20) IBAN format: EEkk BBSS CCCC CCCC CCCK
B = bank code, S = sort code, C = account No., K = check digit
Same as Denmark, except for the country code.
  • Finland (18) IBAN format: FIkk BBBB BBCC CCCC CK
B = bank code, branch number and account type, C = account No., K = check digit of the Finnish account numbering scheme.
  • France (27) IBAN format: FRkk BBBB BGGG GGCC CCCC CCCC CKK
B = bank code, G = code guichet (branch), C = account No., K = clé RIB (key).
  • Germany (22) IBAN format: DEkk BBBB BBBB CCCC CCCC CC
B = sort code (Bankleitzahl/BLZ), C = account No.
  • Gibraltar (23) IBAN format: GIkk BBBB CCCC CCCC CCCC CCC
B = first part of BIC, C = account No.
  • Greece (27) IBAN format: GRkk BBB BBBB CCCC CCCC CCCC CCCC
K = check digits of the Greek account numbering scheme, B = bank code and branch number, C = account No.
  • Greenland (18) IBAN format: GLkk BBBB CCCC CCCC CC
Same as Denmark, except for the country code.
  • Hungary (28) IBAN format: HUkk BBBB BBBC CCCC CCCC CCCC CCCC
B = bank code, C = account No.
  • Iceland (26) IBAN format: ISkk BBBB SSCC CCCC XXXX XXXX XX
B = bank code, S = sort code, C = account No., X = holder's national identification number.
  • Ireland (22) IBAN format: IEkk AAAA BBBB BBCC CCCC CC
The first 4 alphanumeric characters are the start of the SWIFT code. Then a 6 digit long sort code and an 8 digit account code follow, both numeric.
  • Isle of Man (Uses United Kingdom code)
  • Israel (23) IBAN format: ILkk BBBN NNCC CCCC CCCC CCC
B = bank No. 3 digits, N = branch No. 3 digits, C = account No. 13 digits (typically 6 zeroes followed by a 7 digit No.). It should be noted that some Israeli banks have recently changed client's account numbers from 6 to 7 digits.
  • Italy (27) IBAN format: ITkk KAAA AABB BBBC CCCC CCCC CCC[1]
K = check char ("CIN"[2], 1 alpha), A = ABI[3] bank code ("codice ABI", 5 digits), B = branch number ("CAB"[4], 5 digits), C = account ID (12 alphanumeric).
  • Latvia (21) IBAN format: LVkk BBBB CCCC CCCC CCCC C
The first four digits are the same as the first four digits of the SWIFT code of the bank, and the 13 digits after that are the number of the individual account (and can include both letters and numbers).
Same as Switzerland except for the country code.
  • Lithuania (20) IBAN format: LTkk BBBB BCCC CCCC CCCC
B = bank code, C = account No.
  • Luxembourg (20) IBAN format: LUkk BBBC CCCC CCCC CCCC
B = bank code, C = account No.
  • Macedonia (19) IBAN format: MKkk BBBC CCCC CCCC CKK
B = bank code, C = account No., K = check digits
  • Malta (31) IBAN format: MTkk BBBB SSSS SCCC CCCC CCCC CCCC CCC
B = first part of BIC, S = sort code, C = account No.
  • Mauritius (30) IBAN format: MUkk BBBB BBSS CCCC CCCC CCCC CCCC CC
B = bank identifier, S = branch identifier, C = account number
  • Monaco (27) IBAN format: MCkk BBBB BGGG GGCC CCCC CCCC CKK
Same as France except for the country code.
  • Montenegro (22) IBAN format: MEkk BBBC CCCC CCCC CCCC KK
kk = IBAN digit, B = Bank Code, C = Account number, KK = Check Digit.
  • Netherlands (sometimes referred to as Holland) (18) IBAN format: NLkk BBBB CCCC CCCC CC
kk = IBAN digit, B = Bank Code, C = Account number
(Not applicable to Netherlands Antilles or Aruba)
  • Northern Ireland (uses either UK or Republic of Ireland code, dependant upon format chosen by bank)
  • Norway (15) IBAN format: NOkk BBBB CCCC CCK
B = bank code, C = account No., K = modulo-11 check digit
  • Poland (28) IBAN format: PLkk BBBB BBBk CCCC CCCC CCCC CCCC
B = bank code (1-3 institution ID, 4-7 branch), C = account No., kk = check digits. There are no letters in the code. The single "k" after bank code is the now redundant check digit of the former system, preserved in IBAN.
  • Portugal (25) IBAN format: PTkk BBBB BBBB CCCC CCCC CCCK K
B = bank code (1-4 bank code, 5-8 branch code), C = account number, K = BBAN check digits.
Banks that don't identify specific branches use '0000' for digits 5-8.
The Portuguese BBAN (or NIB - Número de Identificação Bancária) uses the same validation checksum as the IBAN (ISO 7064 mod 97-10 calculation) resulting in the IBAN checksum always being "50".
  • Romania (24) IBAN format: ROkk BBBB CCCC CCCC CCCC CCCC
The first 4 alphanumeric characters represent the bank; according to a rule established by the Romanian National Bank, the BBBB code must be the same with the first 4 characters of the bank's identifier code. The last 16 represent the specific bank branch and an account, combined any way the bank decides (typically the first 4 among the 16 identify the branch). Some banks include the ISO 4217 currency identifier somewhere in the account name.
  • San Marino (27) IBAN format: SMkk KAAA AABB BBBC CCCC CCCC CCC
Same as Italy except for the country code.
  • Saudi Arabia (24 digits) IBAN format: SAkk BBCC CCCC CCCC CCCC CCCC
B = bank code, C = account No.
2a [country code] 2n [check digits] 2n [bank identifier] followed by 18c [the basic account number preceded by zeros, if required]. The issuing start date of the Saudi Arabia IBAN was July 1, 2008 [1].
  • Serbia (22) IBAN format: RSkk BBBC CCCC CCCC CCCC KK
B = bank code, C = account No., K = account check digits[5]
  • Slovakia (24) IBAN format: SKkk BBBB SSSS SSCC CCCC CCCC
B = bank code, S = sort code, C = account No.
  • Slovenia (19) IBAN format: SIkk BBBB BCCC CCCC CKK
The first 2 BB digits represent a bank, the next 3 - the branch. The last 2 digits (KK) are the check digits. IBAN check digits (kk) for Slovenia are 5 and 6.
  • Spain (24) IBAN format: ESkk BBBB GGGG KKCC CCCC CCCC
B = bank code, G=Branch/office number, K=Check digits, C = account No.
  • Sweden (24) IBAN format: SEkk BBBB CCCC CCCC CCCC CCCC
The Bs represent the bank code and the Cs the account number.
  • Switzerland (21) IBAN format: CHkk BBBB BCCC CCCC CCCC C
B = bank code, C = account No.
  • Turkey (26) IBAN format: TRkk BBBB BRCC CCCC CCCC CCCC CC
The total number of alphanumeric characters including the country code and the check digits is 26. The first 5 digits represent a bank. The next alphanumeric character, reserved for future use, is set to zero. The following 16 alphanumeric characters represent the specific bank branch and an account. The issuing start date of the Turkish IBAN was: September 1, 2005 [2].
  • Tunisia (24) IBAN format: TNkk BBBB BCCC CCCC CCCC CCCC
B = bank code, C = account No.
B = alphabetical bank code, S = sort code (often a specific branch), C = account No.
(Applies to whole of Great Britain, not applicable to any British Overseas Territories. Alternative applications in Northern Ireland, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Gibraltar - see separate entries)

[edit] Algorithms

[edit] Calculating and validating IBAN checksums

The checksum is a basic ISO 7064 mod 97-10 calculation where the remainder must equal 1.

To validate the checksum:

  1. Check that the total IBAN length is correct as per the country. If not, the IBAN is invalid.
  2. Move the four initial characters to the end of the string.
  3. Replace each letter in the string with two digits, thereby expanding the string, where A=10, B=11, ..., Z=35.
  4. Interpret the string as a decimal integer and compute the remainder of that number on division by 97.

The IBAN number can only be valid if the remainder is 1.

Example (fictitious United Kingdom bank, sort code 12-34-56, account 98765432):

IBAN:       GB82 WEST 1234 5698 7654 32 
Rearrange:   W E S T12345698765432 G B82
Modulus:    3214282912345698765432161182 mod 97 = 1

The ECBS Standard provided method of calculating the checksum yields a value in the range 02 to 98. The ranges 00 to 96, 01 to 97 and 03 to 99 would also pass the MOD 97-10 validation test but the standard is silent as to whether or not these ranges may be used. It does however issue the warning: "Generation of the IBAN shall be the exclusive responsibility of the bank/branch servicing the account".

The preferred algorithm is:

  1. Check that the total IBAN length is correct as per the country. If not, the IBAN is invalid.
  2. Replace the two checksum digits by 00 (e.g. GB00 for the UK).
  3. Move the four initial characters to the end of the string.
  4. Replace the letters in the string with digits, expanding the string as necessary, such that A=10, B=11 and Z=35. Each alphabetic character is therefore replaced by 2 digits.
  5. Convert the string to an integer (i.e. ignore leading zeroes).
  6. Calculate Mod-97 of the new number.
  7. Subtract the remainder from 98 and, if necessary, pad with a leading 0 to make a two digit number.

[edit] Calculating the modulus of a large number

It is often not practical to perform these calculations directly on a modern PC. However, by making use of the modular arithmetic identities

\left( {a + b} \right)\bmod k \equiv \left( {\left( {\left( a \right)\bmod k} \right) + \left( {\left( b \right)\bmod k} \right)} \right)\bmod k
and
\left( {a \times b} \right)\bmod k \equiv \left( {\left( {\left( a \right)\bmod k} \right) \times \left( {\left( b \right)\bmod k} \right)} \right)\bmod k

it is easy to show that

\left( D \right)\bmod k = \left( {\sum\limits_{i = 0}^n {d_i a_i } } \right)\bmod k

where

D = \sum\limits_{i = 0}^n {d_i \times 10^i }
and
a_i = \left( {10^i } \right)\bmod k.

The sequence \left\{ {a_i \left| {i = 0 \ldots n} \right.} \right\} is easily generated using the iterative relationship

a_0 = 1;\quad a_{i + 1} = \left( {a_i \times 10} \right)\bmod k

This algorithm is particularly useful if the large number whose modulus is to be found is expressed as an ASCII string rather than as a binary number. In practice this algorithm can be performed using 16-bit integer arithmetic even though D itself might be 30 or more digits in length.


[edit] Security and Privacy

It is possible to publish personal or corporate IBAN bank account routing information for a bank account, as many businesses do for their transit accounts (where payments are routinely swept out and transferred to the proper internal corporate account).

[edit] Online tools

Although many IBAN calculators exist, a valid IBAN can only be obtained from the account servicing financial institution. The underlying ISO demands that only the account servicing financial institution is entitled to issue an IBAN.

  • Free IBAN Validation Service for all 48 countries that have adopted the IBAN standard, multilingual in 30 languages (BG,CA,CZ,DA,DE,EL,EN,ES,ET,FI,FR,HR,HU,IT,JA,LT,LV,NL,NO,PL,PT,RO,RU,SK,SL,SQ,SR,SV,TR,ZH), provided by the UN CEFACT TBG5. The source code of the verification algorithm is available as a Javascript file.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ (in Italian) ABI site on SEPA detailing the Italian IBAN format
  2. ^ CIN is supposed to mean "Control Internal Number", but in fact it's an alphabetic character (A-Z) and never a digit.
  3. ^ ABI is the "Associazione Bancaria Italiana", i.e. a national association of bank and bank-like institutions.
  4. ^ CAB stands for "Codice d'Avviamento Bancario", i.e. Bank Routing Code
  5. ^ National Bank of Serbia: Decision on the Unique Account Identification and Classification Structure and Plan of Accounts for the Application of International Rules and the IBAN Standard
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