BIC / SWIFT Code Format Checker Widget

Help payers read a BIC or SWIFT code before an international transfer: the widget checks the 8- or 11-character ISO 9362 structure, names the country, flags test and training codes and explains the branch part - for one code or a pasted list - while saying plainly that it does not look the code up in any directory.

Finance Tool Runs in your browser Free · no ads

Customize your widget

Theme
Auto follows the visitor's light/dark setting.
Style
Attribution on your page
Optional and entirely your choice. The exact line is shown in the code below; it links to the tool with rel="nofollow".
More options
Starting values
One item per line. Long content is carried after the # in the embed code, so it never reaches a server.
Leave blank to use the widget's defaults. Visitors can still change every value.

Live preview

Exactly what your visitors will see

Embed code

<iframe src="https://a2z.tools/embed/w/bic-swift-checker" title="BIC / SWIFT Code Format Checker by A2Z Tools" width="100%" height="690" style="border:0;width:100%" loading="lazy" allow="clipboard-write"></iframe>

A plain iframe. Works everywhere, including site builders that strip scripts. Adjust height if your content needs more room.

Works with

How it works

Spaces and hyphens are removed and letters upper-cased, then the length must be exactly 8 or 11. SWIFT, the ISO 9362 registration authority, describes the code as a 4-character business party prefix, a 2-letter ISO 3166 country code, a 2-character business party suffix (the location code) and an optional 3-character branch identifier. The country part is checked against the 248 ISO alpha-2 codes in the UN Statistics Division's M49 table plus TW and XK, so UK (not an ISO code - it is GB) and EL (Greece's VAT prefix, not its country code) are refused with a hint. A '0' as the 8th character marks a Test & Training address, which SWIFT's ISO 9362:2014 white paper says is not published in the BIC directory. A branch code of three X letters (ABCDBEB1XXX) denotes the primary office rather than a named branch, and a missing branch means the institution itself. Digits in the first four characters are allowed by ISO 9362 but flagged, because SWIFT has so far issued letters only. A 22-character entry starting with two letters and two digits is recognised as an IBAN.

Method

  • Normalise: upper-case, remove spaces, hyphens and dots; length must be 8 or 11
  • Characters 1-4: business party prefix, letters or digits (SWIFT issues letters only so far)
  • Characters 5-6: ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code (UN M49 table + TW, XK)
  • Characters 7-8: location code; character 8 = '0' -> Test & Training BIC
  • Characters 9-11 (optional): branch identifier; XXX = primary office

Worked examples

Primary office

Inputs: ABCDBEB1XXX

Result: Valid BIC format - prefix ABCD, Belgium (BE), location B1, branch of three Xs = primary office; 8-character form ABCDBEB1

SWIFT's ISO 9362:2014 white paper uses ABCDBEB1 with this branch code as its example.

Test & Training code

Inputs: ABCDBEB0

Result: Valid BIC format with a warning: position 8 is '0' - a Test & Training address

Not published in the BIC directory.

Wrong country code

Inputs: ABCDUK2L

Result: Not a valid BIC format - UK is not an ISO 3166 code, the United Kingdom is GB

Characters 5-6 must be ISO 3166-1 alpha-2.

A format check only. It does not confirm that a code is issued or which bank holds it - check with the receiving bank before sending money.

Limitations

  • Format only: the code is not looked up in the SWIFT BIC directory, so issued, retired and never-issued codes that fit the pattern all pass.
  • Country names come from the browser's built-in region names; the country list is a dated copy of the UN M49 ISO alpha-2 table plus TW and XK.
  • The location code's second character carries other historical meanings that are not interpreted beyond the Test & Training '0'.

Where publishers use it

  • A university's international fees page where overseas students check the BIC before a wire transfer
  • An exporter's payment-instructions page showing how to read the bank's SWIFT code
  • An accounts team cleaning a supplier list: paste 200 BICs and copy back the well-formed ones
  • A remittance or travel-money blog explaining what each part of a SWIFT code means
  • A developer's test-data page reminding testers that codes with 0 in position 8 are test addresses

Questions

Is a BIC the same as a SWIFT code?

Yes, in everyday use. BIC is the ISO 9362 name (Business Identifier Code) and SWIFT is the organisation that issues and registers them, so banks print either term for the same 8- or 11-character code.

What is the difference between 8 and 11 characters?

The first 8 identify the institution in a country and location. The optional last 3 name a branch, department or unit. Three X letters in that position mean the primary office, so ABCDBEB1 and ABCDBEB1XXX point to the same party.

What does a 0 in the 8th position mean?

SWIFT reserves it for Test & Training addresses on its FIN service; such codes are not published in the BIC directory and are not used for live payments. The widget accepts the format but warns.

Why is UK rejected?

The country part must be an ISO 3166 code, and the United Kingdom's is GB. Likewise Greece is GR - EL is only the prefix of Greek VAT numbers.

Does the widget confirm which bank owns the code?

No. A2Z has no copy of the BIC directory, so a well-formed code may still be unissued or retired. Ask the receiving bank or use SWIFT's own BIC search before sending money.

Can the first four characters contain digits?

ISO 9362 allows the prefix to be alphanumeric, but SWIFT's white paper on the 2014 revision says it has so far issued letters only - about 110,000 BICs out of 456,976 possible letter combinations - so a digit there is flagged.

Sources

  1. Business Identifier Code (BIC) - SWIFT, ISO 9362 registration authority . 8-character code: business party prefix (4 alphanumeric), ISO 3166-1 country code (2 alphabetic), business party suffix (2 alphanumeric); optional 3-character branch identifier. Checked 2026-10-03.
  2. ISO 9362:2014 - BIC Implementation (white paper) - SWIFT . Section 4.3: SWIFT has so far issued only alphabetic prefixes; 4.5: BICs with '0' in position 8 are Test & Training addresses not published in the BIC directory. Checked 2026-10-03.
  3. Standard country or area codes for statistical use (M49) - United Nations Statistics Division . ISO alpha-2 code for each of 248 countries or areas, used as the country list. Checked 2026-10-03.

Cite or recommend this tool

If you reference this tool in an article, course or documentation, these formats are ready to copy. They are optional - nothing is added to your site unless you paste it.

A2Z Tools BIC / SWIFT Code Format Checker
https://a2z.tools/embed/bic-swift-checker

Related widgets

More Finance widgets →

  • IBAN Validator

    Finance Tool New

    Check an IBAN's length, layout and mod-97 checksum for 89 registry countries, entirely in the browser.

    Get code

  • Currency Converter

    Finance Converter

    Convert between 54 currencies with live reference rates and the rate shown both ways.

    Get code

  • Payment Fee Calculator

    Business & Ecommerce Calculator New

    What you receive after a percentage-plus-fixed processing fee, or what to charge to receive a set amount.

    Get code

  • EU VAT Number Format Checker

    Business & Ecommerce Tool New

    Check an EU or Northern Ireland (XI) VAT number against the official VIES structure, then verify it on VIES.

    Get code

  • EMI Calculator

    Finance Calculator

    Monthly instalment, total interest and total repayment for any loan.

    Get code

  • Loan Calculator

    Finance Calculator

    Payment, total interest and payoff date for any loan, with monthly, biweekly or weekly payments.

    Get code

Preview

CustomizeGet code