Countries that do not use IBAN, and what they use instead

IBAN is not a worldwide system. 89 countries and territories are in the registry; many large economies are not. If a form insists on an IBAN for an account in one of these countries, the account simply does not have one.

What to write when a form asks for an IBAN

• If there is a separate box for "account number", use that and leave the IBAN box empty.
• If the form only has an IBAN box, many banks accept the plain account number there for non-IBAN countries, together with the SWIFT code. This depends on the sending bank, so ask them.
• Never invent an IBAN by adding letters to an account number. A made-up IBAN can fail the check, or worse, send money to the wrong place.

Why some countries never adopted it

IBAN began as a European answer to a European problem: many neighbouring countries, each with its own account number format, sending payments to one another every day. The standard is open to any country, and a good number outside Europe have joined, but joining is voluntary. Countries that already had a single national routing system, such as the routing number in the United States or the IFSC in India, kept it. For transfers from abroad they rely on the SWIFT code of the bank plus the ordinary account number.

More countries that are not in the registry

We tested a list of countries that people often send money to against the registry data used on this site. As of November 2026, none of the following has an IBAN layout: Argentina, Bangladesh, Ghana, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. For an account in any of them, a form that demands an IBAN is asking for something that does not exist; give the account number and the bank's SWIFT code instead.

Countries Indians often deal with that do use IBAN

The opposite mistake is just as common: leaving the IBAN out where it is needed. These countries are in the registry, and banks there expect the IBAN on an incoming transfer: United Arab Emirates (23 characters), Saudi Arabia (24 characters), Qatar (29 characters), Kuwait (30 characters), Bahrain (22 characters), Oman (23 characters), Pakistan (24 characters), United Kingdom (22 characters), Germany (22 characters) and France (27 characters). Each name opens the layout for that country.

What the sender usually needs instead

• The account holder's name exactly as the bank has it.
• The account number, complete and without spaces.
• The SWIFT code (BIC) of the receiving bank.
• The name of the bank and often its branch or address.
• The local bank or branch code where the country has one, such as those in the table above.

Which of these are compulsory differs from bank to bank, so the sender should ask their own bank before filling in the form. How IBAN, SWIFT code and IFSC differ.

Is my country in the list?

The full list of IBAN countries can be filtered by name. If the country is not there, it is not in the IBAN registry as of November 2026.

Common questions

Checked in November 2026. General information, not financial advice. Confirm the details a transfer needs with the bank that will send it.