Pattern

Regex for SWIFT/BIC code

Bank Identifier Code — 8 or 11 chars.

The SWIFT/BIC code regex is ^[A-Z]{6}[A-Z0-9]{2}([A-Z0-9]{3})?$ — copy it below, or open it in the explainer for a token-by-token breakdown.

The pattern

^[A-Z]{6}[A-Z0-9]{2}([A-Z0-9]{3})?$

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What it matches

DEUTDEFF
DEUTDEFF500
NWBKGB2L
BOFAUS3N

What it doesn't match

DEUTDEFF50
deutdeff
12345678

Notes & gotchas

8 chars (bank+country+location) or 11 chars (with optional branch). Used for international wire transfers via SWIFT.

Code in your language

Use the explainer's Code tab to generate ready-to-paste snippets in JavaScript, Python, Java, .NET, Go, Ruby, and PHP for this pattern.

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Token-by-token breakdown

Every part of the pattern, left to right:

Token	Meaning
`^`	start of string (or line in multiline mode)
`[A-Z]{6}`	exactly 6 times: any of: uppercase letters
`[A-Z0-9]{2}`	exactly 2 times: any of: uppercase letters, digits
`(`	start of a capturing group
`[A-Z0-9]{3}`	exactly 3 times: any of: uppercase letters, digits
`)?`	end of group, optional (zero or one)
`$`	end of string (or line in multiline mode)

About this pattern

European Union identifiers follow standards set by individual member states with EU-wide coordination (VAT VIES, IBAN/SEPA, etc.). The regex validates structure; for production use, validate via the appropriate registry.

Quick usage in different languages

This exact pattern — with the correct escaping and idioms for each language:

JavaScript: /^[A-Z]{6}[A-Z0-9]{2}([A-Z0-9]{3})?$/.test(value)
Python: re.match(r"^[A-Z]{6}[A-Z0-9]{2}([A-Z0-9]{3})?$", value)
Java: Pattern.compile("^[A-Z]{6}[A-Z0-9]{2}([A-Z0-9]{3})?$").matcher(value).matches()
C# / .NET: Regex.IsMatch(value, @"^[A-Z]{6}[A-Z0-9]{2}([A-Z0-9]{3})?$")
Go: regexp.MustCompile(`^[A-Z]{6}[A-Z0-9]{2}([A-Z0-9]{3})?$`).MatchString(value)
Ruby: /^[A-Z]{6}[A-Z0-9]{2}([A-Z0-9]{3})?$/.match?(value)
PHP: preg_match('~^[A-Z]{6}[A-Z0-9]{2}([A-Z0-9]{3})?$~', $value)

The explainer’s Code tab regenerates these for any pattern you paste, and the downloadable cheat sheet bundles the breakdown, all seven snippets, and the pitfalls below onto one printable page.

Common pitfalls

Anchored to the whole string. This pattern uses ^ and $, so it requires the entire input to match. To find it inside a longer text, drop the anchors and use the global (g) flag.
Uppercase only. Ranges like [A-Z] won't match lowercase. Add a-z (or the i flag) if lowercase input should be accepted.
Validate beyond format. Matching the format doesn't guarantee the value is real. Confirm the swift/bic code against a source of truth (database, API, or checksum) where it matters.

Standards & sources

This pattern is based on the following authoritative specification(s) and issuing authorities. Formats can change — always confirm against the primary source.

ISO 9362 — Business Identifier Code / BIC (SWIFT)

Related patterns

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