What we check
- Country: that the first two letters are a country that uses IBANs.
- Length: each country has a fixed IBAN length, from 15 characters (Norway) to over 30.
- Format: that letters and digits sit where that country requires them.
- Checksum: the two check digits are recalculated with MOD-97 (ISO 13616). This catches most typos and swapped digits.
Country formats come from the open-source ibantools library, which follows SWIFT's official IBAN Registry.
SWIFT/BIC vs IBAN
The SWIFT/BIC identifies the bank. The IBAN identifies your account, in the countries that use IBANs, mostly in Europe and the Middle East. For a payment into a European account you often need both; inside the euro SEPA area, the IBAN alone is usually enough.
Countries without IBANs, such as South Africa and the United States, use an account number plus the bank's SWIFT/BIC code. Check a SWIFT/BIC code.
Questions
What is an IBAN?
An International Bank Account Number identifies a specific bank account across borders. It starts with a two-letter country code and two check digits, followed by the country's domestic account details.
How do you check an IBAN?
We check the country code, the length for that country, the country's format, and the two check digits using the MOD-97 calculation from the ISO 13616 standard. A single wrong or swapped digit almost always fails the checksum.
Does a valid IBAN mean the account exists?
No. It means the IBAN is well formed. It doesn't confirm that the account is open, who owns it, or that a payment will succeed.
Does South Africa use IBANs?
No. South Africa, the United States, Canada, Australia, India and many African countries don't use IBANs. Payments from abroad use the account number and the bank's SWIFT/BIC code.
Is it safe to enter an IBAN here?
The check runs in your browser. We don't send, store or log the IBAN.
Uncle Jetlag Global Banking is a free reference tool, not a bank or payment service. It can't confirm that an account exists, who owns it, or that a payment will arrive. Always confirm payment details with your bank or the recipient before sending money. Never share online banking passwords, PINs or one-time codes with anyone.