What is an IBAN, and how do I obtain one?

The International Bank Account Number (IBAN) is a series of letters and numbers that uniquely identifies an account held at an overseas bank.

An IBAN is not a new bank account number but a way of representing account numbers in an internationally recognised standard format. If you have been provided an IBAN for the intended payment recipient, always enter it in the recipient account number field.

An IBAN is a mandatory requirement when sending payments to some countries. You can search for a country IBAN requirements and validity online.

All IBANs start with a two (letter) country code and contain between sixteen (16) and thirty-four (34) letters and numbers.

For example, a Finnish account holder might require an IBAN with 18 characters while a transfer to Turkey needs a 26-character number.

You will need to request the IBAN from the payment recipient. IBAN and SWIFT codes are often displayed on applicable payment recipient's bank statements.

Note: Australian bank accounts do not have an IBAN – we use a BSB and account number.