How to Find a BIC Code?

When making an international transfer, the recipient's BIC/SWIFT code is sometimes requested. In this guide we explain how you can find a bank's BIC and which tools you can use.

The most reliable way: confirm with the bank

The most reliable way to learn a BIC is from the recipient's bank's official website or the recipient's account documents (statement, account details). Many banks state the IBAN and the BIC together in their documents. This is the method with the least risk of error.

Deriving it from the IBAN (especially Germany)

In some countries a BIC can be derived from the bank code inside the IBAN. Germany is the easiest example of this: digits 5–12 of the German IBAN are the 8-digit BLZ, and it is possible to reach the bank's BIC from this BLZ. To do this, you can use the German IBAN parser or the BLZ lookup tool. This data is based on the Bundesbank (Germany's central bank) list.

Decoding the structure of a BIC

If you have a BIC and want to check whether it is in the correct structure, the BIC/SWIFT lookup tool splits the code into institution, country, location and branch code and checks its structural validity. But remember: structural validity does not guarantee that the bank or branch is active.

Summary

The most reliable way to find a BIC is to confirm it with the bank; in countries such as Germany it can also be derived from the bank code inside the IBAN. To look up the structure of a BIC, you can use our tools. In SEPA, a BIC is usually not needed; in SWIFT it is usually mandatory.