IBAN example · DE
German IBAN example
This page gives you a sample German IBAN that passes all ISO 13616 checks — correct character set, exactly 22 characters, and MOD 97 check digits that yield a remainder of 1. This German IBAN is a synthetic test value for forms and integrations, not a real account. Use it for payment-integration tests, form demos, or to learn how a DE IBAN is structured. It does not map to a real bank account, so never send money to it. Below you will find the full IBAN, a field-by-field breakdown, notes on testing, and the SWIFT/BIC code you would pair with it for a complete cross-border payload.
Field-by-field breakdown
The breakdown below splits the sample German IBAN (DE89370400440532013000) into its country code, check digits, and BBAN fields, applying the 8!n10!n pattern so each field is labeled with its length and allowed characters. This is the same field-by-field view the IBAN validator produces for any DE IBAN you paste, so you can compare a real German IBAN against this reference structure.
How to use this German IBAN example
A common use case is testing a payment form that accepts German IBANs: paste the sample into your form to confirm it accepts 22-character DE input and rejects malformed values. You can also load this example straight into the IBAN validator to see the green check, or open the German IBAN format page for the full structure spec. For end-to-end testing of a cross-border flow, pair this IBAN with the receiving bank's SWIFT/BIC code.
Reading the German IBAN structure
Reading the sample German IBAN left to right: the first two characters (DE) are the ISO 3166 country code for Germany; the next two are the MOD 97 check digits, chosen so the whole number passes the checksum; and the remaining 18 characters are the BBAN, which encodes the bank and account under Germany's national format. Because the BBAN layout is fixed for Germany, you can predict which characters are the bank code and which are the account number just from the 8!n10!n pattern — and that is exactly what the field-by-field breakdown below shows.
Testing with this German IBAN
For QA and integration work, this German IBAN example is most useful in three places. In a payment form, paste it to confirm the field accepts 22-character DE input and rejects values that are too short, too long, or have a bad country prefix. In a MOD 97 unit test, assert that the example returns a remainder of 1 and that flipping any single digit makes it fail. In an end-to-end test, pair the IBAN with a Germany SWIFT/BIC code so the full wire payload looks realistic. Because the example is synthetic, it will never collide with a real Germany account, which makes it safe to commit to test fixtures.
German IBAN fields and transfer pitfalls
Germany uses a fixed 22-character IBAN made from the country prefix DE, two check digits, an eight-digit bank code (the BLZ), and a ten-digit account number. The familiar synthetic value DE89370400440532013000 is useful because its BBAN visibly separates the eight-digit bank-code block (37040044) from the ten-digit account block (0532013000). It is a published test fixture, not a Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank, or any other customer's account. A German IBAN example should therefore be used to test field length and parsing, never to identify a recipient or infer a live bank relationship. When a form asks for a German IBAN, preserve leading zeroes in both the BLZ and account number. Domestic German transfers may show an account number and BLZ as separate fields, while an international form expects the combined IBAN. Do not paste the BLZ into the BIC field: the BIC identifies the bank's SWIFT routing entity, whereas the IBAN identifies the account. A bank can also publish separate BICs for a head office, a branch, or a securities operation, so copy the BIC from the beneficiary's current payment instructions. For integration tests, keep two representations of the same fixture: a continuous uppercase value for API payloads and a grouped display value such as DE89 3704 0044 0532 0130 00 for humans. Test that spaces and line breaks are normalized before validation, then test rejection of a 21- or 23-character value. Also test a single changed digit: the MOD 97 remainder should no longer be 1. These checks catch the practical errors that occur when a German account is copied from a PDF, OCR result, or spreadsheet. A valid German IBAN still says nothing about account ownership, account status, name matching, sanctions screening, or whether a transfer can be credited in the chosen currency. Before sending a real payment, compare the beneficiary name, IBAN, BIC, invoice, and bank-provided address. If the recipient supplies a replacement account at the last minute, verify it through a known channel rather than trusting an email alone.
German IBAN example and SWIFT codes
If you are testing a full international payment into Germany, you will usually need a SWIFT/BIC code alongside this IBAN. The Germany SWIFT codes page lists the major Germany banks and their head-office BICs, so you can build a realistic DE wire payload around this German IBAN.
German IBAN example FAQ
- Is this German IBAN example real?
- No. It is a synthetic value generated to pass MOD 97 and the 22-character DE length check. It does not correspond to any real Germany bank account, so it is safe for test fixtures and demos but must never be used for an actual transfer.
- Why use a synthetic German IBAN instead of a real one?
- Real German IBANs are private account identifiers; publishing one would expose a customer's account. A MOD 97-valid synthetic example gives you the same format and checksum behavior for testing without touching any real account.
- Can I load this DE example into the validator?
- Yes. The "Validate this example" link below loads this sample straight into the IBAN validator so you can see the green check and the full breakdown, exactly as a real German IBAN would render.
- What do I pair with a German IBAN for a wire?
- For most cross-border payments into Germany you need the IBAN plus the receiving bank's SWIFT/BIC code. This German IBAN example covers the account side; look up the bank's BIC separately to complete the wire instructions.