IBAN Lengths by Country: The Complete Reference
Every country using IBAN has a fixed character length. From 15 characters (Norway) to 34 characters (Malta), here is the complete reference table.
Why IBAN Length Varies by Country
Each country defines its own BBAN (Basic Bank Account Number) structure, which determines the total IBAN length. Countries with longer domestic account numbers — such as Malta with 31-character BBANs — produce longer IBANs. The country code (2 chars) and check digits (2 chars) are the same for all countries.
Shortest and Longest IBANs
- Shortest: Norway (NO) — 15 characters
- Longest: Malta (MT) — 31 characters
- Most common: 22–24 characters covers the majority of European countries
Full Length Table
The IBAN lengths by country page has the complete reference table covering all 77 countries, sortable and searchable. Use it to verify whether an IBAN you have received is the correct length for its country.
Why Length Matters for Validation
The first thing any IBAN validator checks is whether the length matches the country standard. An IBAN that is one character too short or too long will fail before even reaching the MOD-97 checksum check. Try our validator to check any IBAN instantly.