Quick summary
- Not the official BIC directory, not Swift and not a bank. Swift's own free lookup is the BIC search on swift.com. This site checks the format of a code and explains it.
- A BIC has 8 or 11 characters. The first four letters name the bank, the next two are the country code, then two letters or digits for the location, and a branch of three characters that may be left off (SWIFT).
- The checker points at the exact character that is wrong, and says what it should be: a letter, a digit, a real country code.
- It does not invent owners. For Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, PNC, USAA, BMO, U.S. Bank, Capital One and Navy Federal it shows the code each bank publishes itself. For any other bank it sends you to the official sources.
- Nothing is sent. The check runs in your browser.
Looking up your bank's SWIFT code?
If someone abroad is about to send you money, you need one thing: the right code for your bank. Here is the honest way to get it.
| Where | Why it is the right source | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Your bank's app, online banking or a statement | It is your bank's own data | Use the details labeled for incoming international wires |
| Your bank's "receive an international wire" page | It also lists any intermediary bank and the address to give | A general "about us" page may show a different code |
| Swift's free BIC search | Run by Swift, the official registration authority for BICs | It confirms a code and the institution behind it, not which of the bank's codes your payment needs |
Lookup sites that list "every bank's code" copy that data from somewhere. Swift's terms for its free search do not allow systematic copying of the directory (Swift), and a copied list goes stale when a bank merges or changes codes. We would rather show you nine codes we read on the banks' own pages than thousands we cannot vouch for. The Find a code tab above has those nine. The US bank codes page shows each one with its source, and where to look a code up covers every other bank.
What the checker does that a plain validator does not
| Situation | What you see |
|---|---|
| A digit typed where a letter belongs (BOFAU53N) | "Position 6: it is the digit 5, but positions 1 to 6 take letters only. Did you mean the letter S?" |
| A made-up country code (DEUTXXFF) | Positions 5 and 6 marked red: XX is not an ISO 3166-1 code |
| 9 digits pasted (021000021) | "This looks like a US routing number, not a SWIFT code" |
| A test code ending in 0 | A warning: Swift uses these only for its test and training service (Swift) |
| An older code ending in 1 | A note that it is non-connected under the BIC policy, and to ask the bank |
| An IBAN added next to the BIC | Whether both carry the same country, and for countries such as the UK and the Netherlands, the same four-letter bank code |
| A valid code | A "before you send" checklist written for that country, which you can copy and send to the payer |
One code, start to finish
Type DEUTDEFF500:
- DEUT, letters: the bank code.
- DE, letters: Germany, a real ISO 3166-1 code.
- FF: the location code.
- 500: a branch code, so give the sender all 11 characters.
The checklist then reminds you that German IBANs have 22 characters and start with DE, and that a euro transfer between EU banks needs only the IBAN. The checker cannot tell you which bank DEUT is. For that, look the code up in Swift's BIC search.
BIC, SWIFT code, SWIFT/BIC: same thing?
Yes, in everyday use. SWIFT's policy document calls it a Business Identifier Code, defined in ISO 9362, and Swift is the registration authority that issues it (Swift FAQ). A BIC identifies a bank, not an account. The account is identified by an IBAN, or in the US by an account number. For an IBAN on its own, use the IBAN checker.
Intermediary and correspondent banks, in one paragraph
If the sender's bank and your bank have no direct relationship, "the funds may be routed through correspondent banks", as Chase explains, even though the Swift message itself goes straight through (Chase). Usually you need to do nothing. Some banks build an intermediary into their instructions: USAA asks senders to route through The Bank of New York, code IRVTUS3NXXX, then to USAA's account there (USAA, PDF). Banks along the way can take fees, so less may arrive than was sent.
More guides
| Page | What you get |
|---|---|
| How the code is built | Each position, with real examples |
| 8 or 11 characters | When to add XXX, and when you must not drop a branch code |
| ISO 9362 and position 8 | What a 0 or a 1 in position 8 means |
| Do you need a BIC? | IBAN only in SEPA, and the 41 SEPA countries |
| IBAN checker | Length and format for 89 countries, then the check digits |
| Check a list | A whole spreadsheet column, with a reason for every row |
| Before you send money | What a valid code cannot prove, plus a red-flag check |
| SWIFT code vs routing number | Which one to give, with the big banks' numbers |
| Receive a wire in the US | The list of details to send to the payer |
| Verification of payee | The EU name check since October 2025 |
| Questions and answers | Short answers with sources |