Guides
IBAN, BIC/SWIFT and SEPA Guides
Learn how IBAN, BIC/SWIFT, SEPA, checksums, and transfer details work. The guides keep format-check limits and browser-local privacy visible.
Payment-code guides
Start with the topic that matches the detail you are reviewing. Each guide gives plain-language context and practical limits.
What Is an IBAN?
Understand the parts of an IBAN and how digital and print formats are used in payment details.
What Is a BIC/SWIFT Code?
Read the 8 or 11 character BIC structure and understand how business party prefix, country code, suffix, and branch identifier segments fit together.
What IBAN Validation Can and Cannot Check
Understand which IBAN format checks are useful and why they still cannot confirm a real bank account or recipient.
BIC Format and Bank Directory Limits
Understand BIC/SWIFT structure and the limits of format-only checks without licensed bank directory data.
SEPA Country Status Limitations
Understand why SEPA country status is useful context but not account-level or bank-level payment confirmation.
Browser-Local Payment Code Checks
Understand BankCodeKit's local-first privacy model for payment-code checks and why sensitive values are not sent to analytics, ad scripts, logs, URLs, or email.
IBAN vs BIC vs SWIFT Codes
A practical comparison of account-number format and bank-identifier format in payment details.
SEPA vs SWIFT
A careful explanation of SEPA country scope and BIC/SWIFT code context without oversimplifying payment rules.
How IBAN Checksum Validation Works
Understand the plain-English checksum flow that helps catch many IBAN typing mistakes.
SEPA Countries List
Understand country-level SEPA lookup and how it relates to IBAN and payment-code review.
IBAN Print Format vs Digital Format
Compare readable spaced IBANs with compact digital IBANs used by payment forms and validation tools.
Common IBAN Typing Mistakes
Spot common IBAN typing and copy-paste mistakes before using payment details elsewhere.
BIC8 vs BIC11
Understand 8-character and 11-character BIC/SWIFT format patterns without overclaiming directory or network confirmation.
Payment Reference on Invoices
Understand payment references as invoice matching text, not proof that payment details are correct.
How to Check an IBAN Before an Invoice Payment
A practical invoice-payment review flow that keeps IBAN format checks separate from real payment confirmation.
What to Do If an IBAN Checksum Fails
A careful checklist for checksum failures that focuses on re-checking the source value, not guessing payment details.
CSV IBAN Validation Safety
Practical safety notes for pasted IBAN lists, format-check results, and CSV exports from browser-local checks.
Practical review guides
Use these guides when copying payment details from invoices, PDFs, vendor records, or payment forms. They keep format checks separate from real payment confirmation.
Guides on validation limits and privacy
These guides explain what BankCodeKit checks can and cannot prove. Read them before relying on a format result in a payment workflow.
Before sending a payment
Use BankCodeKit guides and tools to catch format issues and understand payment-code terms. Before sending money, verify details through a trusted bank, payment provider, invoice issuer, or recipient channel.
- Confirm the payee name and payment reference.
- Check the IBAN and BIC/SWIFT format when those fields are required.
- Confirm amount, currency, fees, and transfer method.
- Do not rely on format checks as proof of account ownership.
- Do not rely on format checks as proof of payment readiness or payment success.
How these guides relate to the tools
Guides explain the concepts behind the tools. The tools perform browser-local checks such as IBAN normalization, checksum checks, BIC parsing, and country-level SEPA lookup.
FAQ
Do these guides replace bank instructions?
No. Guides explain payment-code formats and validation limits. Real payment details should be verified with your bank, payment provider, invoice issuer, or recipient.
Do BankCodeKit tools confirm account ownership?
No. BankCodeKit checks format and reference data only. It does not confirm account existence, account ownership, bank connectivity, sanctions status, fraud risk, payment readiness, or payment success.
Are values entered into tools uploaded?
The tool design is browser-local for user-entered payment details. Values are not sent to servers, analytics, ad scripts, or URLs.
Guide reference sources
Public references for the IBAN, BIC/SWIFT, and SEPA guide index are linked below; detailed standard scope, review methods, and licensing boundaries are documented on the Sources and Updates page.
- Swift IBAN Registry
- ISO 13616-1:2020 IBAN structure standard
- Swift BIC / ISO 9362 information
- ISO 9362:2022 BIC standard
- European Payments Council SEPA scheme countries list
Matching the cited format and reference data for the IBAN, BIC/SWIFT, and SEPA guide index does not confirm account existence, ownership, bank reachability, or payment success. Read the detailed disclaimer.
Reference data reviewed: 2026-08-15 Next scheduled data review: 2026-10-17 Sources: Swift IBAN Registry, ISO 13616-1:2020 IBAN structure standard, Swift BIC / ISO 9362 information, ISO 9362:2022 BIC standard, European Payments Council SEPA scheme countries list Reference data is reviewed periodically. BankCodeKit does not perform live bank, account, sanctions, or payment-network confirmation.