IBAN in Pakistan: what it is, the format and how to find yours at each bank

An IBAN number (International Bank Account Number) is your existing bank account number written in a standard format that banks everywhere can check. In Pakistan it is always 24 characters: PK, 2 check digits, a 4-letter bank code and a 16-digit account number, for example PK24 MUCB 0646 6099 7100 0177 at MCB. You can find yours on your bank statement, in some banking apps, with your bank’s online IBAN generator, or at a branch. It isn’t a new account: your account number stays the same.

What is the IBAN number format in Pakistan?

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) set the format in its 2012 IBAN guidelines. Every Pakistani IBAN has four parts:

If your account number is shorter than 16 digits, zeros are added on the left. SBP’s example: account 2112345607 becomes 0000002112345607. Banks print the IBAN in groups of four so it’s easier to read.

Some banks fit the branch into the 16 digits. At Meezan Bank, the account part is 00, then your 4-digit branch code, then your 10-digit account number.

Bank codes, as shown by SBP and the banks:

SBP told banks to generate IBANs for all customers by December 2012 and to use them for domestic and international payments by June 2013. Standard Chartered says use started on 1 July 2013, while UBL’s FAQ gives January 2014 for its customers.

Is the IBAN number the same as the account number?

No, but your account number is inside it. Standard Chartered and Meezan both say the IBAN isn’t a new account number and your existing number stays. The IBAN just adds PK, the check digits and the bank code in front.

Each account has its own IBAN, so two accounts mean two IBANs. A card number is not an IBAN: Standard Chartered notes that IBANs identify bank accounts, not credit cards.

How do I find my IBAN number?

How to find your IBAN number at each bank

How can I check an IBAN is correct?

The two check digits make a mistyped IBAN fail a simple maths test (modulus 97), and SBP’s guidelines say the paying bank should validate the IBAN before processing the payment. Meezan and Standard Chartered both have online IBAN validators. A pass only means the IBAN is well formed. SBP’s guidelines say the check doesn’t prove that the account exists, so check the account title your app shows before you confirm. HBL’s Raast steps, for example, ask you to check the recipient’s account title.

What do I need an IBAN number for?

• Money from abroad. Wise needs the receiver’s full name and 24-character IBAN to send rupees to Pakistan. See Wise in Pakistan and sending money to Pakistan.
• Freelance payouts. To withdraw from Payoneer to NayaPay, you add NayaPay’s 24-digit IBAN as a rupee bank account. See Payoneer in Pakistan.
• Raast transfers. You can send money to someone’s IBAN or Raast ID through your bank’s app, internet banking, branch or USSD. See Raast.
• Import and export. Pakistan Single Window asks for a valid IBAN to link your bank. See PSW registration.
• Refunds. Hajj 2027 application refunds go to the IBAN the applicant gave. See Hajj 2027.

More guides: NayaPay vs SadaPay, freelancer payment methods, open a bank account online, Banking.