BIC Validator

Check a BIC (SWIFT code) structure and read its parts — institution, country, location, branch — right in the browser. The companion to the IBAN in every cross-border payment.

BIC / SWIFT code (8 or 11 characters)

Local validation of the ISO 9362 structure and the ISO 3166 country code. No SWIFT directory is queried.

How it works

The BIC (Business Identifier Code, ISO 9362), also called a SWIFT code, identifies a financial institution. The validator checks:

length — exactly 8 or 11 characters;
the structure AAAA-BB-CC[-DDD] — 6 letters then alphanumeric characters;
that the country code (positions 5-6) is a valid ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code;
the location suffix: a 0 in the 8th position marks a test BIC (never in production), 1 a passive participant, 2 reverse billing.

Anatomy of a BIC

BNPAFRPPXXX reads as: BNPA = institution (BNP Paribas), FR = country, PP = location (Paris), XXX = branch (primary office). An 8-character BIC (without the last 3) implicitly means the primary office; directories accept either the BIC8 or the BIC11 with XXX.

Privacy

Limits

IBAN Validator — the other half of any international bank coordinate.
SWIFT MT / ISO 20022 — the messages where the BIC identifies institutions (field 52A, pacs.008 agents).