SWIFT / BIC Code Validator
Validate a SWIFT / BIC code (the 8- or 11-character bank identifier used for international wire transfers). The decoder splits it into bank code, country code, location, and optional branch — and verifies each component against the format defined by ISO 9362.
How to use the SWIFT / BIC Code Validator
Paste a BIC code (8 or 11 characters, alphanumeric, uppercase). Format: BBBB CC LL (XXX) — 4-letter bank code, 2-letter ISO country, 2-character location, optional 3-character branch. The validator confirms format and decodes the components.
The structure of a SWIFT/BIC code
A BIC — Bank Identifier Code, often called a SWIFT code — identifies a bank for international transfers. ISO 9362 fixes its shape: four letters for the institution, two letters for the ISO country, two characters for the location, and an optional three-character branch code. So DEUTDEFF is Deutsche Bank (DEUT), Germany (DE), Frankfurt (FF), with no branch; add 500 and it points at a specific branch. A code is therefore always exactly 8 or 11 characters.
This validator checks that length and the character rules for each segment, then splits the code into bank, country, location, and branch so you can read it. A passing code is well-formed, but BIC has no checksum — unlike an IBAN, the structure is all there is to verify, so a typo that still fits the pattern cannot be detected from the code alone.
Common use cases
- Validating wire details — confirm a BIC is well-formed before submitting an international transfer.
- Reading a code — break a BIC into bank, country, and location to see who and where it points to.
- Form input checks — reject obviously malformed BICs at entry rather than at the bank.
- Data cleaning — scan a list of supplier BICs for ones that do not fit the 8- or 11-character format.
- Pairing with IBAN checks — validate both the BIC and the IBAN on a payment instruction together.