IBANPart by part
| Position | Part | Made of | In the example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | Country code | 2 capital letters: FR | FR |
| 3 to 4 | IBAN check digits | 2 digits | 48 |
| 5 to 9 | Bank code | 5 digits | 12345 |
| 10 to 14 | Branch code | 5 digits | 67890 |
| 15 to 25 | Account number | 11 letters or digits | 12345678901 |
| 26 to 27 | National check digits | 2 digits | 23 |
The parts with a name here are: Bank code, branch code, account number, national check digits. The bank decides the bank code and the account number; you never have to work them out yourself. The layout code FR2!n5!n5!n11!c2!n is how the registry writes this: a number, then n for digits, a for capital letters or c for letters or digits.
How to check an IBAN of France
- Count the characters without spaces. There must be exactly 27.
- The first two must be FR, and the next two must be digits.
- After those four, the rest must follow the layout: 5 digits, then 5 digits, then 11 letters or digits, then 2 digits.
- Run the check-digit test. The IBAN checker does all four steps for you and shows which one fails.
Writing it down
On paper, an IBAN is written in groups of four characters with spaces, as in the example above, so that it is easier to read and compare. In online banking and in files it is entered without spaces. Both forms are the same IBAN. Letters are always capitals.
Also used in
The same FR layout, with the same FR country code, is used for accounts in: French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin (French part), Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna.
How it compares
At 27 characters, it sits between the shortest IBAN in the registry (Norway, 15 characters) and the longest (Russia, 33 characters). The same length is used by Burundi, Djibouti, Greece, Italy, Mauritania, Monaco, San Marino, each with its own layout. It mixes letters and digits after the check digits.
Common questions
How many characters does an IBAN of France have?
An IBAN of France always has 27 characters: the letters FR, two check digits and 23 more characters for the bank and the account.
What does an IBAN of France start with?
It starts with FR, the country code, followed by two check digits.
Is France in SEPA?
Yes. France is part of the Single Euro Payments Area, so euro transfers to and from it use the IBAN.
Layout checked in November 2026 against the SWIFT IBAN Registry data. The example is made up. For a payment, use only the IBAN given by the account holder or the bank, and check with the bank if in doubt.