Home › Bank codes › What is an IBAN
Short answer An IBAN (International Bank Account Number) is your account number in the international ISO 13616 format. In Pakistan it is always 24 characters:
PK, 2 check digits, the bank’s 4-letter code and 16 characters for your account. Your old account number is still valid and sits inside the IBAN. A SWIFT code is different again: it identifies the bank, not your account.
At a glance
- Standard: ISO 13616, adopted by SBP on May 15, 2012 (SBP PSD Circular No. 02 of 2012 ↗ · checked 2026-10-10)
- Length in Pakistan: 24 characters (Citibank Pakistan IBAN FAQs ↗ · checked 2026-10-10)
- Who may create one: only your bank (Citibank Pakistan IBAN FAQs ↗ · checked 2026-10-10)
- Bank’s sample IBAN:
PK36CITI1000001004331059(Citibank Pakistan IBAN FAQs ↗ · checked 2026-10-10)
| Account number | IBAN | SWIFT/BIC code | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it identifies | Your account, inside your bank | Your account, in a format any bank can check | The bank |
| Length | Set by each bank (Citibank’s example uses 16 digits; Meezan’s account numbers have 10) | 24 characters in Pakistan | 8 characters, sometimes 11 |
| Example | 1000001004331059 | PK36CITI1000001004331059 | MEZNPKKA (Meezan Bank) |
| Who needs it | You and your bank | Anyone paying you, in Pakistan or from abroad | A sender abroad, with your IBAN |
| Safe to share with a payer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Source: Citibank Pakistan IBAN FAQs ↗, Meezan Bank IBAN generator ↗ and our list of bank codes · checked 2026-10-10
Citibank Pakistan’s IBAN FAQ splits its sample IBAN, PK36CITI1000001004331059, like this:
| Part | Characters | In the example | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Country code | 2 | PK | Pakistan |
| Check digits | 2 | 36 | Let a bank spot a typing mistake before the payment goes out |
| Bank code | 4 | CITI | Identifies the bank |
| Account part | 16 | 1000001004331059 | Your account at that bank |
Source: Citibank Pakistan IBAN FAQs ↗ · checked 2026-10-10
Banks fill the 16-character account part in their own way. Meezan Bank, for example, uses 00, your 4-digit branch code and your 10-digit account number, so the branch matters when you generate a Meezan IBAN. See Meezan Bank IBAN.
The bank code is usually the first four letters of the bank’s SWIFT code: MEZN for Meezan (MEZNPKKA), HABB for HBL (HABBPKKA). The full list is on SWIFT and IBAN codes of Pakistani banks.
No, but it contains it. Citibank’s FAQ says: “IBAN is not a new account number. It simply represents the existing account number in an electronically recognizable ISO standard format.” Your old account number stays valid.
The IBAN adds three things in front of it: the country code, the check digits and the bank code. Those let a payment system check the number and route the money without anyone reading it by hand. That is why SBP adopted the standard: “account code standardization and efficiency in processing of payments for domestic as well as cross border transactions” (SBP PSD Circular No. 02 of 2012 ↗).
If you hold several accounts, each one has its own IBAN.
The SWIFT/BIC code names the bank; the IBAN names one account at that bank. A person sending you money from abroad usually needs both, plus your name exactly as it appears on the account. Each bank’s page lists what to give the sender, for example Meezan Bank SWIFT code and HBL SWIFT code.
Only your bank can issue it. Citibank’s FAQ says banks “are authorized to generate IBAN. No other party is allowed to generate IBAN.” The usual places:
Websites that “convert” an account number into an IBAN are not your bank. Take the IBAN from your bank.
On paper, Citibank’s FAQ splits the IBAN into groups of four: PK36 CITI 1000 0010 0433 1059. In an app or a payment form, type it as one string with no spaces: PK36CITI1000001004331059.
The check digits catch most typing mistakes. A payment system can reject an IBAN that fails the check before any money moves. You can run the same check yourself with our IBAN checker.
A valid IBAN can still be the wrong person’s. The check proves only that the number is well formed, not whose account it is. Before you confirm, look at the account title your app shows; for Raast payments, HBL’s app, for example, shows it. Raast payments are final under SBP’s rules, so check before you send. See Raast.
Warning Your IBAN is safe to give to someone who is paying you. Your PIN, password, OTP and card details are not. No bank needs them to send you money.
24 characters: 2 letters for the country (PK), 2 check digits, 4 letters for the bank and 16 characters for the account.
No. Your account number is the last part of the IBAN. The IBAN adds PK, two check digits and the bank’s 4-letter code in front of it. Both stay valid.
No. The IBAN identifies an account. IBFT (Inter Bank Funds Transfer) is the 1LINK service that moves money between banks; you can send an IBFT to an IBAN. See IBFT charges.
No. The SWIFT code identifies the bank. The IBAN identifies your account and contains the bank’s 4-letter code, which usually matches the start of its SWIFT code.
Usually. The account number is inside the last 16 characters, but banks pad it differently: Meezan puts 00 and a branch code in front of a 10-digit account number. If you are unsure, check your statement or ask your bank.
Yes, with someone who is paying you. A sender needs it to reach your account. Never share your PIN, password or OTP.
