IBAN stands for International Bank Account Number and is a number attached to all accounts in the EU countries plus Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Iceland. The IBAN is made up of a code that identifies the country the account belongs to, the account holder's bank and the account number itself. The IBAN makes it easier and faster to process cross-border payments.

The IBAN makes automatic processing of cross-border payments easier and enables the bank to check, immediately upon receipt, whether the account numbers are correct. This ensures a fast credit to the account. At the same time, you avoid fees for manual processing of transfers.

How the IBAN is constructed
The IBAN is an international standard (ISO 13616). The number comprises maximum 34 alphanumerical characters, which are structured as follows:

• Two letters representing the home country of the account-holding bank (ISO 3166 country code with two letters, e.g. IE for Ireland)
• Two numbers that are a control key
• Maximum of 30 alphanumeric characters that identify the bank and the ordinary account number

 

How do you get an IBAN?
The bank assigns an IBAN to each of your accounts. You cannot automatically calculate an IBAN yourself, as each bank might have different methods of registering their account numbers in the IBAN. The IBAN appears on account statements and in the bank's online systems.