Check a SWIFT / BIC code before you send money
Paste a BIC or SWIFT code to see its parts and whether the format is valid. Private, runs in your browser. It checks the shape, not whether the bank exists.
Official source: SWIFT, BIC policy (20 January 2023). Checked
Quick summary
- A BIC has 8 or 11 characters. The first four identify the institution, the next two the country, the next two the location. An optional three-character branch code makes 11 (SWIFT, ACER).
- The checker looks at the shape only. It cannot say whether a code is assigned, active or belongs to a given bank.
- Nothing is sent. The check runs in your browser.
Looking for a US bank's code?
The codes Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, PNC, USAA and other big US banks publish for incoming wires, each read from the bank's own page: US bank SWIFT codes. Being paid from abroad? See what to give the sender.
What the checker tells you
- Whether the length and the allowed characters are right.
- The parts: institution, country, location and branch.
- A few notes, for example about 8-character codes and non-connected codes.
BIC, SWIFT code, SWIFT/BIC: same thing?
In everyday use, people say "SWIFT code", "SWIFT/BIC" and "BIC" for the same kind of identifier. SWIFT's policy document calls it a Business Identifier Code. The checker accepts either name and works the same way. It does not handle IBANs or account numbers: those have their own formats.
Examples of what you will see
- A valid 8-character code is split into institution, country and location, and the checker notes that an 8-character code is taken to refer to the primary office.
- A code with the wrong length is rejected with the number of characters it found.
- A code with a digit in the first six positions is rejected, because those positions take letters only.
Further reading here
How the code is built · 8 or 11 characters · Non-connected BICs · Before you send money
More guides
| Page | What you get |
|---|---|
| ISO 9362 revision | What changed in the BIC and the digit 1 |
| Do you need a BIC? | EPC on IBAN only in SEPA |
| IBAN checker | Structure and check digits, in your browser |
| Verification of payee | The EU name check since October 2025 |
| Wire transfer scams | FTC advice |
| SWIFT code vs routing number | Which one to give, with the big banks' numbers |
| Find a SWIFT code | Swift's free BIC search and how far to trust it |
| Foreign IBAN refused | When a trader will not accept an IBAN from another euro country |
| Questions and answers | Short answers from Swift's FAQ and the pages above |
The app above, in three tabs
The first tab checks one code part by part. The second checks a whole list of BICs and IBANs and exports the results; see check a list. The third runs a red-flag check before you send money, because a valid code does not make a payment safe.