Greek IBAN Format (GR): Structure, Bank Codes, and Validation Examples

The Greek IBAN is 27 characters long and encodes a 3-digit bank code, a 4-digit branch code, and a 16-digit account number. Greece is a eurozone and SEPA member, and Greek IBANs are essential for payments to Greek businesses, public sector entities, and individuals — including for VAT refunds, EU subsidy disbursements, and cross-border supplier invoices. The 27-character format is the same total length as French and Italian IBANs, though the internal breakdown differs significantly.

Greek IBAN at a Glance

• Country code: GR
• Total length: 27 characters (always)
• Format: GRkk bbb ssss cccccccccccccccc
• BBAN length: 23 digits
• Character types: digits only after the country code

Greek IBAN Structure Explained

1. Country Code — GR (2 characters)

The ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code for Greece. Every Greek IBAN begins with GR.

2. Check Digits — kk (2 digits)

Two decimal digits calculated using the MOD-97 algorithm. Standard across all IBANs.

3. Bank Code — bbb (3 digits)

A 3-digit code identifying the Greek bank, assigned by the Bank of Greece. Examples:

• 011 — National Bank of Greece (Ethniki Trapeza)
• 014 — Alpha Bank
• 026 — Piraeus Bank
• 040 — Eurobank Ergasias

4. Branch Code — ssss (4 digits)

A 4-digit code identifying the specific branch where the account is held. Greek branches are identified by a 4-digit code, longer than the French 5-digit guichet equivalent but functioning in the same way.

5. Account Number — cccccccccccccccc (16 digits)

A 16-digit individual account number. This is one of the longer account number fields in European IBAN formats — Greek account numbers are always exactly 16 digits.

Greek IBAN Example Explained

GR16 0110 1250 0000 0001 2300 695

• Country: GR
• Check digits: 16
• Bank code: 011 (National Bank of Greece)
• Branch code: 0125
• Account number: 0000000012300695

Second Example — Alpha Bank

GR58 0140 2000 2000 0023 4567 890

• Country: GR
• Check digits: 58
• Bank code: 014 (Alpha Bank)
• Branch code: 0200
• Account number: 2000002345678 90 (padded to 16 digits)

How Greek IBAN Validation Works

1. Country code check: First two characters must be exactly GR.
2. Length check: Total character count (spaces removed) must be exactly 27. Greek IBANs share this length with French (FR27) and Italian (IT27) IBANs, but are structurally different.
3. Character type check: Positions 3–27 must all be decimal digits. Greek IBANs are fully numeric after the country code — no letters in the BBAN, unlike Italian IBANs (which have a CIN letter).
4. MOD-97 check: Standard modulo 97 computation. Result must equal 1.

The ibanchecker.cash validator validates Greek IBANs and displays the bank code, branch, and account number in the result breakdown.

Common Greek IBAN Mistakes

Confusing with Italian IBANs (Same Length, Different Structure)

Both Italian (IT) and Greek (GR) IBANs are 27 characters, but Italian IBANs include a CIN letter at position 5. A system that copies the Italian template and expects a letter at position 5 will misparse a Greek IBAN, which is fully numeric.

Short Account Numbers Without Zero-Padding

Greek account numbers must be exactly 16 digits in the IBAN. Older Greek account numbers written as shorter strings must be left-padded with zeros. Failing to pad produces an IBAN with wrong check digits.

Branch Code Errors During Bank Mergers

Greece underwent significant bank consolidation after 2012. Some branch codes from absorbed banks were remapped. IBANs issued before a merger may still be valid at the surviving bank under new internal routing, but an outdated branch code in a newly constructed IBAN can indicate the wrong branch.

Spaces in Electronic Transmission

Remove all spaces: GR1601101250000000012300695.

Greek IBAN and SEPA

Greece is a eurozone and SEPA member. All Greek bank accounts support SEPA Credit Transfers and Direct Debits. For payments outside SEPA, look up any Greek bank's BIC using the ibanchecker.cash SWIFT directory.

Validating Greek IBANs in Bulk

Finance teams processing payments to Greek suppliers or government entities can validate multiple IBANs at once using the ibanchecker.cash bulk checker. Upload a CSV with up to 100 IBANs and receive per-row validation with bank code and branch details.

Last updated: June 2026