ISO 13616-1:2020

Financial services - International bank account number (IBAN) - Part 1: Structure of the IBAN

This document specifies the elements of an international bank account number (IBAN) used to facilitate the processing of data internationally in data interchange, in financial environments as well as within and between other industries. The IBAN is designed for automated processing but can also be used conveniently in other media interchange when appropriate (e.g. paper document exchange). This document does not specify internal procedures, file organization techniques, storage media or languages to be used in its implementation, nor is it designed to facilitate the routing of messages within a network. It is applicable to the textual data which might be conveyed through a system (network).

Services financiers — Numéro de compte bancaire international (IBAN) — Partie 1: Structure de l'IBAN

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 28-Sep-2020
• ICS: 03.060 - Finances. Banking. Monetary systems. Insurance
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 68/SC 8 - Reference data for financial services
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 68/SC 8 - Reference data for financial services
• Current Stage: 9060 - Close of review
• Completion Date: 04-Mar-2031

Relations

• Revises: ISO 13616-1:2007 - Financial services - International bank account number (IBAN) - Part 1: Structure of the IBAN
• Effective Date: 09-May-2020

Overview

ISO 13616-1:2020 - Financial services - International bank account number (IBAN) - Part 1: Structure of the IBAN - defines the structure, representation and validation rules for the International Bank Account Number (IBAN). The standard specifies a machine-friendly textual format to facilitate automated processing and straight-through processing (STP) of cross-border and domestic account identifiers in financial and other industries. It focuses on the IBAN data elements, not on message routing, internal file formats or storage media.

Key topics and technical requirements

• IBAN format: Fixed pattern 2!a2!n30c - two-letter country code (ISO 3166-1), two check digits, and a BBAN of up to 30 alphanumeric characters.
• Country code: First two characters are the alpha‑2 country code (ISO 3166-1).
• Check digits: Calculated using the ISO/IEC 7064 MOD 97-10 algorithm. Check digits validate the country code plus BBAN. Only the servicing financial institution may generate an IBAN for an account.
• BBAN rules: BBAN must contain only letters (A–Z, a–z) and digits (0–9), have a fixed length per country, and embed a bank identifier at a fixed position and length as defined nationally. No separators or punctuation are allowed in the electronic format.
• Printed representation: For readability, IBANs may be printed in groups of four characters separated by spaces (see Annex A).
• Validation procedure (summary): remove spaces, move first four characters to the end, map letters to digits (A=10 … Z=35), compute mod 97; a remainder of 1 indicates a valid IBAN (detailed example in Annex B).
• Registry and registration: National bodies register IBAN formats in the ISO IBAN registry; for registration procedures see ISO 13616-2.

Practical applications

• Ensures consistent, machine‑readable account identifiers for cross‑border payments, reducing manual intervention and errors in payment processing.
• Used by: banks, payment processors, financial software vendors, ERP systems, corporate treasuries, clearing houses and fintechs for account validation, reconciliation, and automated payment initiation.
• Useful both in electronic data interchange (EDI) and on paper payment documents where the printed IBAN format improves readability.

Who should use this standard

• Financial institutions implementing IBAN issuance and validation.
• Payment system operators and gateways integrating cross‑border payment formats.
• Software developers building banking, payments, ERP or reconciliation systems.
• National standards bodies registering IBAN formats.

Related standards

• ISO 3166-1 - Country codes (used for the IBAN country code).
• ISO/IEC 7064 - Check character systems (MOD 97-10 algorithm).
• ISO 13616-2 - Role and responsibilities of the IBAN Registration Authority.
• ISO 9362 - BIC (Business Identifier Code), often used alongside IBAN on payment instructions.

Keywords: ISO 13616-1:2020, IBAN, International Bank Account Number, BBAN, check digits, MOD 97-10, ISO 3166-1, financial services, IBAN validation.

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 13616-1
Second edition
2020-09
Financial services — International
bank account number (IBAN) —
Part 1:
Structure of the IBAN
Services financiers — Numéro de compte bancaire international
(IBAN) —
Partie 1: Structure de l'IBAN
Reference number
©
ISO 2020
© ISO 2020
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting
on the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address
below or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Conventions . 2
5 Structure . 2
6 Check digits . 3
6.1 General . 3
6.2 Checking the check digits . 3
6.3 Generating the check digits . 3
7 Registration of IBAN formats . 3
8 Formats and samples of IBANs . 4
Annex A (informative) Representation of the IBAN in the printed format .5
Annex B (informative) Example of how to calculate and validate the check digits .6
Bibliography . 8
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www .iso .org/ directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www .iso .org/ patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the
World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see www .iso .org/
iso/ foreword .html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 68, Financial services, Subcommittee SC 8,
Reference data for financial services.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 13616-1:2007), of which it constitutes a
minor revision. The changes to the previous edition are as follows:
— updates of the Foreword and the Introduction;
— in 6.3.3, a note has been added to clarify how to implement the ISO/IEC 7064 check digit, to ensure
proper validation of the IBAN;
— the status of Annex A changed to informative;
— minor editorial changes.
A list of all parts in the ISO 13616 series can be found on the ISO website.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www .iso .org/ members .html.
iv © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

Introduction
The use of electronic communication media and services internationally for the cross-border
transmission of information and payment-related transactions between financial institutions, as well
as between financial institutions and their customers, continues to increase. In order to facilitate
automated processes in support of straight through processing (STP) in this environment, the ISO 13616
series has been developed as a means by which financial institutions and their customers can exchange,
through inter-industry electronic data interchange (EDI), customer account identification details in a
machine-readable form. It also makes provision for validation of the information provided.
In developing the ISO 13616 series, it was recognized that a single, universal method for identifying the
account and banking relationship for customers of financial institutions was not practical. Accordingly,
the ISO 13616 series recognizes that financial institutions would wish to retain, wherever possible, their
current national identification methods. It therefore provides a method whereby a minimum amount
of change to existing systems is required and, at the same time, proposes a means of structuring the
information in a way that promotes automated processing of the information provided.
It is anticipated that the use of the ISO 13616 series in electronic data interchange will:
a) reduce the need for manual intervention in the processing of inter-industry and intra-industry data
interchange;
b) improve the level of confidence in the accuracy of the information provided;
c) provide certainty that the information provided is relevant to the country of ownership of the
account.
It is recognized that the IBAN would also be of use in a paper environment. The use of information to
further qualify details of the financial institution at which the IBAN applies is not precluded by their
use outside of the IBAN.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 13616-1:2020(E)
Financial services — International bank account number
(IBAN) —
Part 1:
Structure of the IBAN
1 Scope
This document specifies the elements of an international bank account number (IBAN) used to facilitate
the processing of data internationally in data interchange, in financial environments as well as within
and between other industries. The IBAN is designed for automated processing but can also be used
conveniently in other media interchange when appropriate (e.g. paper document exchange).
This document does not specify internal procedures, file organization techniques, storage media
...