IBAN Validation Guide: Pre-Transfer Checklist

What is an IBAN?

IBAN (International Bank Account Number) is the international bank account number standard. Defined by ISO 13616, up to 34 characters long.

Every IBAN starts with a two-letter country code (TR, DE, GB, FR, etc.), followed by 2 check digits and a country-specific bank account number (BBAN).

Turkey IBAN structure: TR + 2 check + 5 bank code + 1 reserve + 16 account number = 26 characters.

IBAN validation steps

1. Country code check: Are the first 2 characters one of the 78 countries in the IBAN registry?

2. Length check: Each country has a fixed IBAN length. Turkey 26, Germany 22, Netherlands 18, France 27 characters.

3. BBAN breakdown: Bank identifier, branch code, national check digit, and account number are parsed.

4. MOD-97 check: Check digits are calculated per ISO 13616. If remainder is 1, the IBAN is structurally valid.

Pre-transfer checklist

Did you copy the IBAN from your banking app? (do not type manually - O/0 and I/1 confusion risk)

Is the country code correct? (TR, DE, GB, etc.)

Is the length appropriate for the country? (TR=26, DE=22, NL=18)

Did the MOD-97 check pass?

Was the bank name/identifier recognized?

Does the recipient name match the IBAN owner?

Things to watch out for

A valid format and correct check digits do not prove the account exists or belongs to you. They only show the number is structurally consistent.

Foreign bank name directories are limited. Utilgo matches the most common banks by name and logo in 17 countries.

SWIFT/BIC code is required for international transfers. Utilgo IBAN validator also shows the SWIFT code when the bank is identified.

Utilgo IBAN Validator

Utilgo IBAN Validator validates IBANs from 78 countries. Shows bank name, logo, SWIFT code, and BBAN breakdown. Runs in the browser, IBAN is never sent anywhere.