General Banking
Bank Branch Identifier
A branch code (or branch identifier) is a numeric code that identifies a specific branch or office within a bank. It works alongside the bank code to provide precise routing for domestic payments. In the UK, the branch is identified by the last four digits of the sort code.
Branch code formats vary by country. France uses a 5-digit code guichet, Spain uses a 4-digit office code, and Italy uses a 5-digit CAB (Codice di Avviamento Bancario). In countries that use IBANs, the branch code occupies a defined position within the BBAN, immediately following the bank code. In a SWIFT/BIC code, the optional three-character branch suffix (characters 9-11) serves a similar purpose for international routing.
Not all countries require a branch code in their IBAN structure — Germany, for example, omits it because the Bankleitzahl already encodes the branch. When a branch code is required, omitting it or entering it incorrectly will cause IBAN validation to fail. For countries that use branch codes, knowing the correct value is essential when converting local account details into an IBAN.
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