UK IBAN Format: Sort Code, Account Number, and More
British IBANs are 22 characters and encode the familiar sort code and account number. Here is exactly how a UK IBAN is structured and validated.
UK IBAN Structure
A UK IBAN is always 22 characters long:
- GB — country code
- XX — 2 check digits
- XXXX — 4-character bank identifier (first 4 letters of the bank's BIC)
- XXXXXX — 6-digit sort code
- XXXXXXXX — 8-digit account number
Example: GB29 NWBK 6016 1331 9268 19 — NatWest (NWBK), sort code 60-16-13, account 31926819.
View the full UK IBAN format page with annotated example.
Is the UK Still in SEPA?
The UK left SEPA after Brexit. UK IBANs are still valid and widely used, but transfers to and from the UK are now treated as international payments requiring SWIFT/BIC codes. The UK remains a SEPA-format IBAN country — it just is not in the SEPA payment zone. See which countries are in SEPA.
Finding Your UK IBAN
Most UK banks show your IBAN in online banking. Alternatively, your 22-character IBAN can be derived from your 6-digit sort code and 8-digit account number using the standard BBAN construction rules.