What is the difference between a SWIFT code and a BIC?

They are the same thing. BIC (Business Identifier Code) is the ISO 9362 name for the code; SWIFT is the network that issues and routes them. Banks and forms use the terms interchangeably.

Why are some SWIFT codes 8 characters and others 11?

An 8-character code identifies a bank's head office. Adding a 3-character branch code makes it 11 and points to a specific branch. An 8-character code is treated as the primary office, often written with XXX appended to make 11.

What does each part of the code mean?

Characters 1-4 are the bank code (letters), 5-6 are the ISO 3166 country code, 7-8 are the location code, and 9-11 are the optional branch code. For example DEUTDEFF500 is Deutsche Bank, Germany, Frankfurt, branch 500.

How do I validate a SWIFT code's country?

Characters 5 and 6 must match a real ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code. If you paste a German bank code it must contain DE in positions 5-6. A mismatch means the code is malformed or for a different country.

Does a valid format guarantee the bank exists?

No. This tool checks structure only: length, allowed characters, and a valid country code. Confirming a working bank requires the official SWIFT directory, because well-formed codes can still be unassigned.

What is the SWIFT/BIC Format by Country?

Reference the SWIFT/BIC code structure by country: 8 or 11 characters, the 2-letter country code position, branch code, and sample codes. Validate format and learn what each section means. Runs in your browser. It runs free in your browser on Gera Tools, with nothing uploaded.

SWIFT/BIC Format by Country

Name: SWIFT/BIC Format by Country
Creator: Gera Tools
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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A SWIFT/BIC code is the international address of a bank. This tool shows the exact structure used by every country and validates any code you paste against the ISO 9362 rules, splitting it into its bank, country, location, and branch parts.

How it works

A BIC is 8 or 11 characters, drawn from this fixed layout:

D E U T D E F F 5 0 0
^^^^^ ^^^ ^^   ^^^
bank  ctry loc branch
1-4   5-6  7-8 9-11

Characters 1-4 — bank code: four letters identifying the institution. Assigned by SWIFT to each member bank.
Characters 5-6 — country code: the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code (DE, GB, US, SE, CH…).
Characters 7-8 — location code: letters or digits indicating the city or region. A second character of 0 historically marked a test/non-production BIC; 1 marked a passive participant.
Characters 9-11 — branch code (optional): three letters or digits for a specific branch or department. XXX is the conventional placeholder for the primary office.

The validator enforces length 8 or 11, requires the first six characters to be letters, checks positions 5-6 against the country you selected, and confirms the remaining characters are alphanumeric.

Country-specific quirks

BIC country codes follow ISO 3166 strictly, which catches out users from several countries:

Country	Common mistake	Correct ISO code in BIC
United Kingdom	UK	GB
Greece	GR — correct	GR
Switzerland	SW	CH (from Confoederatio Helvetica)
South Korea	SK	KR
Czech Republic	CZ — correct	CZ

The UK case is the most common error on international wire transfer forms. British banks use GB in positions 5-6; entering UK will produce a validation failure or an undeliverable transfer.

8 vs 11 characters in practice

An 8-character BIC identifies the bank at its primary office. When you omit the branch code, most SWIFT routing systems treat the payment as destined for the head office, which then routes internally. An 11-character BIC with a specific branch code routes more precisely — useful for large multi-site banks where payments need to reach a specific processing centre.

Some banks always require the full 11 characters. Others accept either. If you are unsure, add XXX as the branch code: DEUTDEFF becomes DEUTDEFFXXX. The tool shows whether the code you entered is 8 or 11 characters and flags any format issue.

Tips and examples

DEUTDEFF — Deutsche Bank head office, Germany; its branch 500 is DEUTDEFF500.
Banks often write the short form padded with XXX (DEUTDEFFXXX) so systems expecting 11 characters accept it.
UK bank BICs use GB: for example NWBKGB2L for NatWest’s London primary, not NWBKUK2L.
If you are building a payment form, normalise all 8-character codes to 11 by appending XXX before submission.