Bahrain IBAN Format (BH) — Structure, Length & Validator

The Bahrain IBAN is 22 characters long and follows the ISO 13616 standard adopted by the Central Bank of Bahrain. Bahrain was one of the first Gulf states to implement IBANs, making them mandatory for all local and international transfers. Bahrain is not a SEPA country — all international transfers use the SWIFT network, and the BIC code of the Bahraini bank is required alongside the IBAN.

Bahrain IBAN at a Glance

• Country code: BH
• Total length: 22 characters (always)
• Format: BHkk bbbb cccccccccccccc
• BBAN length: 18 characters
• Character types: 4-letter bank code + 14-digit account number

Bahrain IBAN Structure Explained

1. Country Code — BH (2 characters)

The ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code for Bahrain. Every Bahraini IBAN begins with BH.

2. Check Digits — kk (2 digits)

Two decimal digits computed using the MOD-97 algorithm defined in ISO 7064. They catch transposition and transcription errors before the payment is transmitted.

3. Bank Code — bbbb (4 letters)

A 4-letter bank identifier derived from the first four characters of the bank's BIC/SWIFT code. Common codes for major Bahraini banks:

• BMAG — Arab Banking Corporation (Bank ABC)
• BBKU — Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK)
• BHBH — National Bank of Bahrain (NBB)
• AAAA — Ahli United Bank

4. Account Number — cccccccccccccc (14 digits)

A 14-digit numeric account number assigned by the bank. All digits — no letters appear in the Bahraini account field.

Bahrain IBAN Example Explained

BH67 BMAG 0000 1299 1234 56

• Country: BH
• Check digits: 67
• Bank code: BMAG (Arab Banking Corporation)
• Account number: 00001299123456

Second Example — National Bank of Bahrain

BH29 BHBH 0000 0000 5678 90

• Country: BH
• Check digits: 29
• Bank code: BHBH (National Bank of Bahrain)
• Account number: 00000000567890

How Bahraini IBAN Validation Works

1. Country code check: First two characters must be exactly BH.
2. Length check: Total character count (spaces removed) must be exactly 22.
3. Character type check: Positions 5–8 must be uppercase letters (bank code); positions 9–22 must be decimal digits.
4. MOD-97 check: Move the first four characters to the end, replace each letter with its numeric value (A=10, B=11 … Z=35), then compute the remainder divided by 97. A valid IBAN always produces a remainder of 1.

The ibanchecker.cash validator validates Bahraini IBANs and displays the bank code and associated institution name in the result.

Bahrain Is Not a SEPA Country

Bahrain is not part of SEPA. All international transfers to Bahraini accounts travel via the SWIFT network. This means:

• Processing times of 1–5 business days (not same-day SEPA)
• Higher fees including correspondent bank charges
• The BIC/SWIFT code of the Bahraini bank is required alongside the IBAN
• Currency is Bahraini dinar (BHD) — no automated euro conversion at SEPA rates

Look up any Bahraini bank's BIC for SWIFT payments using the ibanchecker.cash SWIFT directory.

Common Bahraini IBAN Mistakes

Wrong Length — 20 or 24 Characters

Bahraini IBANs are exactly 22 characters. A common error is confusing the format with the UAE IBAN (23 characters) or Saudi IBAN (24 characters). Always count to 22 after removing spaces.

Missing BIC for SWIFT Transfers

Unlike SEPA transfers where the IBAN alone is sufficient, SWIFT transfers to Bahrain require both the IBAN and the bank's BIC code. Omitting the BIC can cause the payment to be held or returned by the correspondent bank.

Spaces in Electronic Transmission

Remove all spaces when submitting electronically: BH67BMAG00001299123456.

Validating Bahraini IBANs in Bulk

Finance teams processing Gulf region supplier payments can validate Bahraini IBANs alongside UAE, Saudi, and Qatari ones using the ibanchecker.cash bulk checker. Upload a CSV with up to 100 IBANs and receive per-row validation with bank code and error details.

Last updated: June 2026