SWIFT / BIC Checker – Validate Bank Identifier Codes

How a BIC is structured

A BIC packs four pieces of information into 8 or 11 characters. Take COBADEFFXXX — the BIC of Commerzbank in Frankfurt — as a worked example:

Drop the last three characters and you get the 8-character form, COBADEFF, which also points to the head office. Both forms are valid.

SWIFT/BIC codes of major German banks

Source: this site’s bank registry, derived from the Deutsche Bundesbank bank code directory; one bank can have several BLZs and BICs, so use the codes in the account holder’s own documents.

BIC or IBAN: which one does a payment need?

The IBAN identifies the account; the BIC identifies the bank or branch. For cross-border euro payments within the EU/EEA, a BIC is generally not required. That does not mean every payment involving a SEPA country has the same requirements: SEPA countries outside the EEA, such as Switzerland, may still require a BIC. For a payment in another currency or using another route, ask your bank which details to supply. Confirm the BIC with the recipient or your bank, and check the IBAN separately for its country format and check digits before sending.

Reading the branch code

In COBADEFFXXX, the final three characters are XXX, meaning the head office; the shorter form is COBADEFF. Compare that with BYLADEM1001, the registry entry for Deutsche Kreditbank Berlin in the table above: its branch segment is 001. A branch segment other than XXX identifies a specific branch or business unit. Keep the full code supplied in the account holder’s documents rather than replacing its final characters with XXX.

What a valid format does not tell you

A structurally valid BIC has the right length and the right character classes in every position — but that alone does not prove the code is registered to a working bank. To be sure a payment arrives, confirm the BIC against your recipient’s bank details or your own bank’s records before you send.