Barclays

International bank account numbers

Update:

It is now mandatory to quote an IBAN (International Bank Account Number) reference for all International payments being sent to Bahrain, Turkey or the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Sending payments in euros

European directives in place from 1 January 2007 require the inclusion of SWIFTBIC (Bank Identifier Code) and IBAN (International Bank Account Number) fields for euro payments being sent to any EU member state plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland (together, referred to as "Europe").

Your beneficiary should be able to give you their IBAN and SWIFTBIC on request. This information will be available from their bank and may also appear on their bank statements.

If you do not have these details we recommend that you contact the beneficiary to obtain them.

If you choose to process the payment using alternative details e.g. using the National Clearing Code (NCC) or beneficiary bank name and address instead of the SWIFTBIC and the domestic account number instead of the IBAN then we must advise you that:

• The receiving bank overseas may return / reject the payment;
• There will be an additional £7 charge levied to the payment to cover the costs incurred by the receiving bank overseas.

Please note that SWIFTBIC and IBAN are not mandatory for euro payments sent within the UK, unless you have elected to make the payment via SEPA Credit Transfer. A sort code and account number are acceptable for a domestic payment.

Receiving payments in euros

If you wish to receive any payments from Europe in euros, you will need to ensure that your payer has details of your IBAN and your relevant Barclays SWIFTBIC. You can find this information clearly marked at the top right hand side of your bank statement or you can speak to your relationship manager or International Banking Centre to obtain this information.

Please remember - These new rules only apply to payments in euros and not to payments in pounds sterling or any other currencies.

Payments to Turkey

The Central Bank of Turkey has advised that with effect from 1 January 2010 all payments to Turkey in Turkish Lira (currency code TRY) will require a valid International Bank Account Number (IBAN) to be quoted for the beneficiary. Failure to include this information could lead to the payment being delayed or returned and may result in additional charges being applied.

The national standard for the IBAN in Turkey will be a fixed length of 24 alphanumeric characters that refer to a single account. Turkey's IBAN format is also available on the web page of SWIFT.

IBAN format for Saudi Arabia

From 1 September 2009 the Banking System in Saudi Arabia commenced a new structure of bank accounts numbers to become compatible with ISO Standard of International Bank Account Number (IBAN).

The national standard for the IBAN in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which conforms to the international standard, will be a fixed length of 24 alphanumeric characters. Please visit the Saudi Arabian Riyal Interbank Express website.