What is the structure of the German bank code?
The bank code numbers all banks involved in payment transactions are numbered according to a generally valid system. The bank code has 8 digits and is usually written in the form xxx xxx xxx xx. Structure: 123 456 78
Clearing area
The first digit of the bank code identifies the clearing area. The following regional numerals apply:
- 1 Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
- 2 Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein
- 3 Rhineland (Government districts Aachen, Düsseldorf, Cologne)
- 4 Westphalia
- 5 Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland
- 6 Baden-Württemberg
- 7 Bavaria
- 8 Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia
Together with the clearing district, the second figure, and the bank location, the third figure of the Bank Code, the location of the respective responsible Landeszentralbank can be determined.
The cities in which the Landeszentralbank is represented with a central office are regarded as banking centres. These cities include Aachen, Berlin, Bielefeld, Bochum, Bonn, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Essen, Hagen, Hamm, Cologne, Minden, etc.
Network number
The fourth digit of the bank code is the "network number". This refers to the group of institutes. The 0 is reserved for the Deutsche Bundesbank. The other institutes and their network number:
- 1 for post office banks, other credit institutions, unless included in another group
- 2 for regional, local, special, house and branch banks
- 3 for private bankers
- 4 for Commerzbank
- 5 for giro centres and savings banks
- 6 for rural credit cooperatives and their central banks
- 7 for Deutsche Bank
- 8 for Dresdner Bank and the
- 9 for commercial credit cooperatives and their central banks
Subdivision number
The subdivision number (fiveth digit of the bank code) indicates whether the bank is located at the bank's main location. If it is located in a bank location and therefore in the same place where a state central bank is represented with one head office each, then a zero is placed in fifth place of the bank code. The sixth digit of the BLZ is another subdivision number.
The last two digits are the internal branch numbers of the credit institutions, which are mainly used for internal routing of the respective credit institution.
What is the structure of the German bank code?
What does IBAN mean?
The International Bank Account Number (IBAN) is a globally valid number for a current account. Specification is based on the ISO standard "ISO 13616:2003".
The aim of the development of IBAN was to improve and standardize the worldwide payment systems. The international standardization of the structure consisting of verification and account data (bank identification plus account identification) is intended to open up integration and automation potentials for data exchange between banks in different countries.
In international payment transactions, IBAN replaces the previous combination of account number and bank sort code. Since the identification of a bank account is different in each country, the standardisation should eliminate any problems that may arise. IBAN has become the standard for cross-border payment transactions within the EU and EFTA states.
With effect from 1 February 2014, the IBAN in the EU replaced the existing national account numbers for transfers. Building on the EU credit transfer, it was decided to establish a Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), which will completely replace national payment systems from 1 February 2014.
What does IBAN mean?
What is the structure of a German IBAN?
The IBAN for German account holders is 22 characters long and consists of the following elements
DE - 2-digit country code according to ISO 3166-1 (consisting of letters)
12 - 2-digit checksum with check digits according to ISO 7064 (consisting of digits)
12345678 - 8-digit bank code
1234567890 - 10-digit account number (with leading zeros if necessary)
You can use the check digit to check payment orders for correctness of the account number and bank details before they are executed.
According to the ECBS standard, an IBAN is limited to a total of 34 characters. In the case of a written representation, the abbreviation "IBAN" shall be placed at the beginning of the number. The length of the German IBAN is 22 digits.
At most banks you will find your personal IBAN printed on the bank statement.
What is the structure of a German IBAN?
What is the BIC?
The BIC is an internationally standardized bank code, often referred to as the SWIFT code. The BIC contains the name of the recipient bank, the country code and a store code. With the help of the BIC, credit institutions worldwide can be clearly identified.
What is the BIC?
What is the significance of the IBAN for EU standard transfers?
According to the EU directive, international transfers within the EU must not cost more than domestic transfers, as long as the EU standard transfer is used. This standard transfer must contain the IBAN.
The recipient's BIC (Bank Identification Code - an eleven-digit combination of characters) must not be missing either. Only the euro is permitted as currency. The order value is limited to a maximum of 50.000 Euro. Amounts of 12.500 Euro or more must be reported to the Bundesbank for foreign trade statistics.
What is the significance of the IBAN for EU standard transfers?
