SWIFT / BIC Code Lookup
Validate and decode SWIFT BIC codes per ISO 9362 · 100% client-side
Examples:
Enter a SWIFT/BIC code above to validate and decode it.
BIC Structure (ISO 9362)
AAAA BB CC DDD
Bank code
4 letters
4 letters
Country
2 letters
2 letters
Location
2 chars
2 chars
Branch
3 chars (opt.)
3 chars (opt.)
About
The SWIFT/BIC Code Lookup validates Business Identifier Codes (BIC) against the ISO 9362 standard and decodes each component. A BIC consists of: a 4-letter bank code identifying the institution, a 2-letter ISO country code, a 2-character location code (with the second character indicating active/passive/reverse-billing participants), and an optional 3-character branch code (XXX denotes the primary office). BIC8 (8 characters) always refers to the primary office; BIC11 (11 characters) refers to a specific branch. All validation runs locally — no BIC data is transmitted.
How to use
- 1 Type or paste a SWIFT/BIC code into the input field — spaces are stripped automatically and the code is uppercased.
- 2 Use the example buttons to test well-known BICs from Deutsche Bank, Bank of America, HSBC, ICICI, and SBI.
- 3 Valid codes show a colour-coded breakdown of all four components with explanations for each.
- 4 The location code note explains whether the bank is an active participant, passive participant (second character = 1), or uses reverse billing (second character = 2).
- 5 The branch code section distinguishes between primary office (XXX) and specific branch codes.
- 6 The visual BIC structure diagram at the bottom shows the positional layout for reference.
- What is the difference between BIC8 and BIC11?
- BIC8 is an 8-character code identifying the primary (head) office of a bank — for example, DEUTDEDB for Deutsche Bank Germany. BIC11 adds a 3-character branch code suffix — for example, DEUTDEDBFRA for the Frankfurt branch. When sending an international wire transfer, BIC8 routes to the bank's main processing centre, while BIC11 routes to a specific branch. Many payment systems automatically append XXX to a BIC8 to create a BIC11 when required by the receiving bank's system.
- Is SWIFT the same as IBAN?
- No — they serve different purposes. A SWIFT/BIC code identifies the bank institution (like a bank's address on the international network). An IBAN identifies the specific account at that bank. International wire transfers typically need both: the BIC to route the message to the correct bank, and the IBAN (or local account number) to credit the right account. Within SEPA in Europe, only the IBAN is required for euro transfers — the BIC can be derived automatically. Outside SEPA, most transfers require both.
- What does the location code second character mean?
- The second character of the location code (position 8 in a BIC) has special meaning: a digit "1" means the bank is a passive SWIFT participant (receives messages but does not initiate them — common for test or non-live connections); a digit "2" indicates reverse billing (the receiver pays the SWIFT messaging costs instead of the sender); any other alphanumeric character indicates a standard active participant. Most BICs you encounter in everyday banking are active participants with a letter or "0" in this position.