What is an IBAN?
An IBAN, or international bank account number, is an international system that was developed as a way of identifying foreign bank accounts when making overseas payments.
An IBAN number will most often consist of up to 34 alphanumeric characters, made up of a two digit country code, two check numbers, a four digit bank code, followed by a six digit bank branch code and an eight digit bank account number.
An IBAN is only used to verify transaction details for overseas payments. For example, an IBAN number could look something like the following format: GB33BUKB20201512345678
What countries use IBAN numbers?
First created by banks within the Eurozone, IBAN numbers were developed to reduce errors when facilitating electronic payments across Europe. Although there has been an increase in the number of countries around the world that are interested in adopting the IBAN system, it is predominantly European banks that currently use IBAN numbers.
However, if you would like to check, customers of banks in the following regions, can request an IBAN.
The full list of countries using IBAN:
| Albania | Liechtenstein |
| Andorra | Lithuania |
| Austria | Luxembourg |
| Azerbaijan | Macedonia |
| Bahrain | Malta |
| Belgium | Martinique |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Mauritania |
| Brazil | Mauritius |
| Bulgaria | Mayotte |
| Costa Rica | Moldova |
| Croatia | Monaco |
| Cyprus | Montenegro |
| Czech Republic | New Caledonia |
| Denmark | Norway |
| Dominican Republic | Pakistan |
| Estonia | Palestine |
| Faroe Islands | Poland |
| Finland | Portugal |
| France | Qatar |
| French Guiana | Romania |
| French Polynesia | Saint Barthelemy |
| French Southern Territories | Saint Lucia |
| Georgia | Saint Martin |
| Germany | Saint Pierre et Miquelon |
| Gibraltar | Sao Tome and Principe |
| Greece | Saudi Arabia |
| Greenland | Serbia |
| Guadeloupe | Slovak Republic |
| Guatemala | Slovenia |
| Hungary | Spain |
| Iceland | Sweden |
| Ireland | Switzerland |
| Israel | The Netherlands |
| Italy | Timor-Lester |
| Jordan | Tunisia |
| Kazakhstan | Turkey |
| Kosovo | UAE |
| Kuwait | United Kingdom |
| Latvia | Virgin Islands |
| Lebanon | Wallis and Futuna Islands |
Where can I find an IBAN number?
Your IBAN number can be found on bank statements or in your online/mobile banking account. Alternatively, you can search for the IBAN on your bank’s website and by calling or visiting your branch. Find out more in our guide: How to find an IBAN number.
How to find a bank address using an IBAN:
Using the earlier example of an International Bank Account Number (GB33BUKB20201512345678) we will now outline how customers can locate a bank using an IBAN:
The first two digits of an IBAN is the country code: this will locate the country of the bank. Customers can use in this case GB stands for Great Britain.
The fifth character will mark the beginning of the IBAN’s bank code, followed by a six digit bank branch code: in this case it is BUKB-202015.
A simple search on Google, or using an IBAN checker, will verify which bank the IBAN is referring to, confirming the bank address in full.
Bottom line
We hope this guide will help any users who are struggling to locate the address of a bank for the purpose of an international money transfer. Whether it’s your first time arranging a global payment, or your 100th time, obstacles can come up and we strive to provide advice that will streamline the entire process for our readers. If you are still unsure about what exactly an IBAN number is and how to find one, have a read of our guide on the subject.
