IBAN Format by Country: Complete List of Lengths, Examples, and Structures

Not all IBANs look the same. A German IBAN is 22 characters. A Maltese IBAN is 31. A Norwegian IBAN is just 15. The country code tells you where it is from, but the internal structure — how the bank code, branch code, and account number are arranged — varies wildly.

If you are building payment forms, validating user input, or just trying to make sense of that string of characters someone sent you, this is the reference you need.

How to Read Any IBAN

Every IBAN starts the same way:

[Country Code] [Check Digits] [Bank/Account Info]
   2 letters      2 digits       varies by country

The first 4 characters are always:

1. ISO 3166-1 country code (2 letters) — identifies the country
2. Check digits (2 numbers) — validates the entire IBAN using mod-97

Everything after that depends on the country.

Europe

Western Europe

Key: B = bank code, G = branch code, C = account number, K = check digit, X = control letter, A = BIC bank code

Northern Europe

Norway's 15-character IBAN is the shortest in the world.

Eastern Europe

Middle East & North Africa

Americas

Only Brazil uses IBAN in the Americas:

Brazil's IBAN is notable for including a letter that identifies the account type (C = current account, P = savings).

The United States, Canada, Mexico, and all other American countries do not use IBAN.

Africa

IBAN adoption in Africa is limited, with most countries using their own domestic systems.

Asia & Pacific

Validating IBANs in Code

JavaScript

function validateIBAN(iban) {
  // Remove spaces and convert to uppercase
  const cleaned = iban.replace(/\s/g, '').toUpperCase();

  // Move first 4 chars to end
  const rearranged = cleaned.slice(4) + cleaned.slice(0, 4);

  // Convert letters to numbers (A=10, B=11, ..., Z=35)
  const numeric = rearranged.replace(/[A-Z]/g, (char) =>
    char.charCodeAt(0) - 55
  );

  // Calculate mod 97 using string-based division (handles big numbers)
  let remainder = numeric.split('').reduce((acc, digit) => {
    return (acc * 10 + parseInt(digit)) % 97;
  }, 0);

  return remainder === 1;
}

// Test
validateIBAN('DE89 3704 0044 0532 0130 00'); // true
validateIBAN('DE89 3704 0044 0532 0130 01'); // false

Python

def validate_iban(iban):
    cleaned = iban.replace(' ', '').upper()
    rearranged = cleaned[4:] + cleaned[:4]
    numeric = ''
    for char in rearranged:
        if char.isdigit():
            numeric += char
        else:
            numeric += str(ord(char) - 55)
    return int(numeric) % 97 == 1

validate_iban('ES91 2100 0418 4502 0005 1332')  # True

Country-Specific Quirks

France: RIB Inside the IBAN

French IBANs embed the traditional RIB (Relevé d'Identité Bancaire): bank code (5 digits) + branch code (5 digits) + account number (11 chars) + RIB check (2 digits). Many French systems still ask for the RIB separately.

UK: Sort Code Mapping

British IBANs include the 6-digit sort code within the BBAN. The sort code 60-16-13 becomes 601613 inside the IBAN. Some UK banks still do not display IBANs prominently, since domestic Faster Payments use sort code + account number.

Germany: No Branch Code

German IBANs use an 8-digit Bankleitzahl (BLZ) that identifies the bank and branch together, followed by a 10-digit account number. Simpler than most.

Spain: Double Check Digits

Spanish IBANs have their own 2-digit national check (positions 11-12) in addition to the IBAN's mod-97 check. This provides extra error detection for domestic processing.

Generating Test IBANs

Building a banking application and need test data? Random IBAN Generator creates valid IBANs for any supported country with:

• Correct length and format per country specification
• Valid mod-97 check digits
• Realistic bank code prefixes
• No connection to real bank accounts

Perfect for form validation testing, database seeding, and QA.

FAQ

Which country has the longest IBAN?

Seychelles has the longest at 31 characters, followed by Kuwait and Jordan at 30 characters. The longest European IBAN is 28 characters (Poland, Hungary).

Which country has the shortest IBAN?

Norway, at just 15 characters: 2-letter country code + 2 check digits + 11-digit account number.

Are IBAN formats ever updated?

Yes, but rarely. Changes require coordination between the country's banking authority and the SWIFT IBAN registry. New countries are added periodically — the most recent additions include Sudan and Somalia.

Can I determine the bank from an IBAN?

Yes. The bank code is embedded in the IBAN at a country-specific position. For example, in a German IBAN, characters 5-12 are the Bankleitzahl (bank code). In a UK IBAN, characters 5-8 are the bank identifier from the BIC.

Do all banks in IBAN countries support IBAN?

In countries where IBAN is mandatory (EU, SEPA zone), all banks must support it. In countries with voluntary adoption, some smaller or newer financial institutions may not yet have IBAN capability.

Is there a universal IBAN length?

No. IBAN length varies from 15 to 34 characters depending on the country. The ISO 13616 standard defines a maximum of 34 characters, but each country specifies its own fixed length within that limit.