Making international payments
Banks throughout Europe all use a standard format for International Bank Account Numbers (IBANS) and Bank Identifier Codes (BICs). So when you’re making or receiving payments across Europe, it makes the process quicker, safer and more efficient.
1. Payments to and from Europe
You’ll need to use both International Bank Account Numbers (IBANS) and Bank Identifier Codes (BICs) to make payments to and from Europe.
To receive a payment from elsewhere in Europe, you’ll need to give the payer your own BIC and IBAN. To send a payment, you’ll need to know theirs.
You can find your BIC and IBAN on your bank account statement. They both consist of numbers and letters.
BICs
A BIC is a way of identifying a bank branch.
- Bank code (4 characters): BOFS
- Country code (2 characters): GB
- Location code (2 characters): XX
- Branch code (3 characters): XXX
IBANs
An IBAN is specific to a country, so character length can vary. For example, French IBANs always have 20 characters.
- Austria: AT123456789101112131
- France: FR123456789101112131
- Germany: DE123456789101112131
- Ireland: IE291234567891011121
2. Payments outside of Europe
You may need to use an IBAN when making or receiving payments outside of Europe, but you won’t usually need a BIC.
Payment Purpose Codes are used by some banks in foreign countries to identify why payments are being made. They’re becoming more common, but are particularly required for payments to and from countries such as China and Jordan.
Read our guidance to find out more about making and receiving payments in Chinese Renminbi.
Keep your accounts protected
Only share your BIC and IBAN with someone who’s making a payment to you. Never give out any other confidential details, such as your PIN or memorable information.
Important legal information
Lloyds Bank is a trading name of Lloyds Bank plc, Bank of Scotland plc, Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets plc and Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets Wertpapierhandelsbank GmbH.
Lloyds Bank plc. Registered Office: 25 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7HN. Registered in England and Wales no. 2065. Bank of Scotland plc. Registered Office: The Mound, Edinburgh EH1 1YZ. Registered in Scotland no. SC327000. Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets plc. Registered office 25 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7HN. Registered in England and Wales no. 10399850. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority under registration number 119278, 169628 and 763256 respectively.
Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets Wertpapierhandelsbank GmbH is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets plc. Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets Wertpapierhandelsbank GmbH has its registered office at Thurn-und-Taxis Platz 6, 60313 Frankfurt, Germany. The company is registered with the Amtsgericht Frankfurt am Main, HRB 111650. Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets Wertpapierhandelsbank GmbH is supervised by the Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht.
Eligible deposits with us are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). We are covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). Please note that due to FSCS and FOS eligibility criteria not all business customers will be covered.
While all reasonable care has been taken to ensure that the information provided is correct, no liability is accepted by Lloyds Bank for any loss or damage caused to any person relying on any statement or omission. This is for information only and should not be relied upon as offering advice for any set of circumstances. Specific advice should always be sought in each instance.