SEPA coverage · 🇬🇧 GB
Convert United Kingdom IBANs to their BIC
Every United Kingdom IBAN is 22 characters long and starts with GB. The bank identifier embedded inside it is what resolves to a BIC/SWIFT code, the bank's name and address, and its SEPA reachability.
The United Kingdom IBAN format
Example of a valid United Kingdom IBAN:
GB29 NWBK 6016 1331 9268 19
| Segment | Length | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Country code | 2 | GB | Always GB |
| Check digits | 2 | 29 | ISO 7064 mod-97 checksum over the whole IBAN |
| Bank code (BIC prefix) | 4 | NWBK | First four letters of the bank’s BIC |
| Sort code | 6 | 601613 | Numeric code identifying the branch |
| Account number | 8 | 31926819 | Numeric account identifier |
The UK remained a SEPA participant after Brexit, so GB IBANs are still reachable for SEPA euro transfers — though intermediary fees may apply and address details are now often required.
How to get the BIC from a United Kingdom IBAN
Validate the IBAN
Check the length (exactly 22 characters for GB) and the ISO 7064 mod-97 checksum. Both are local computations — no lookup needed yet.
Extract the bank identifier
The bank code (bic prefix) (4 characters) inside the BBAN identifies the institution holding the account.
Resolve it to a BIC
Map the bank identifier to the institution's BIC via registry data — or send the IBAN to the API and get BIC, bank details and SEPA flags in one response.
Resolve it with one API call
Send the IBAN to POST /v1/convert and get back the BIC, bank details and the four SEPA reachability flags. Invalid and not-found lookups are always free.
curl https://api.iban2bic.com/v1/convert \
-H "Authorization: Bearer ibk_live_xxx" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{ "iban": "GB29NWBK60161331926819" }'United Kingdom IBAN — frequently asked
Other SEPA countries
Keep reading
Resolve United Kingdom IBANs programmatically
BIC, bank details and SEPA reachability for any GB IBAN — €0.009 per successful call, failures always free.