A French IBAN always consists of 27 characters, structured as follows:
FR76 1234 5678 9012 3456 7890 123 │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └── RIB key (2 digits) │ │ │ │ └────────────── Account number (11 digits) │ │ │ └──────────────────── Branch code (5 digits) │ │ └────────────────────────── Bank code (5 digits) │ └───────────────────────────── IBAN check digits (2 digits) └──────────────────────────────── ISO 3166 country code (FR for France)
Breakdown:
IBAN countries: 76 countries in total use IBAN. Length varies by country: 15 (Norway) to 31 characters (Malta). In France: always 27.
IBAN (International Bank Account Number): unique global identifier for a bank account.
BIC (Business Identifier Code, formerly Swift code): identifier for the bank itself, 8 or 11 characters long. Example: BNP Paribas France is BNPAFRPP. The BIC identifies the bank, not the account, for wire transfers.
RIB (Relevé d'Identité Bancaire): a French document containing the IBAN + BIC + account holder’s details + branch name. It is a document, not an identifier. Since 2014, the IBAN has replaced the old RIB format for transfers in France and SEPA.
| Element | Identifies | Format | SEPA Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| IBAN | Account | 27 chars (FR, 15-31 depending on country) | ✅ |
| BIC | Bank | 8 or 11 chars | ❌ since 2016 (intra-EU) |
| RIB | Document | A4, contains IBAN + BIC + identity | ❌ (just practical) |
For a SEPA transfer (Eurozone + EU + EEA): IBAN + beneficiary name are sufficient. No BIC needed.
For an international transfer outside SEPA: IBAN + BIC + name + beneficiary address + sometimes local account number.
Discover the Orizen answer: Orizen Invoicing — customer RIB management, modular and built for French SMEs.
Essai gratuit 14 jours What the Orizen Invoicing — customer RIB management module costsNo. The IBAN appears on all your RIBs, invoices, quotes and contracts. It is even displayed on invoices to enable payment by wire transfer — that is its purpose. What is secret is access to the account (banking credentials, PINs) — not the IBAN itself. A fraudster cannot empty your account with just your IBAN (SEPA direct debits require a signed mandate). The real risk is different: RIB fraud (see next question).
It is the #1 fraud affecting French B2B SMEs (~30% of B2B fraud according to the European Consumer Centre 2024). How it works: a fraudster impersonates a known supplier (similar email, copied email signature) and requests to "update the RIB" for future payments. You transfer money to the fraudster’s account. Protection: (1) Always validate any RIB change by phone call to the supplier number stored in your CRM (never the one in the email); (2) Internal dual-validation procedure for transfers > €5,000; (3) Accounting software with a verified RIB database.
Because the IBAN includes the branch code (sort code). If you transfer your account from a Paris branch to a Lyon branch of the same bank, you usually get a new account with a new IBAN (unless the bank offers account portability, which is becoming common in 2026 thanks to the PSD2 directive). Remember to communicate the new IBAN to all your customers and creditors (automatic debits) to avoid payment rejections.