Saudi Arabian IBAN Format (SA): Structure, SAMA Rules, and SWIFT Requirements

The Saudi Arabian IBAN is 24 characters long and has been mandatory for all domestic and international bank transfers since 2009, following the Saudi Central Bank's (SAMA) adoption of the ISO 13616 standard. Saudi Arabia is not a SEPA country — all international transfers to and from Saudi accounts use SWIFT. The SA IBAN encodes a 2-digit bank code followed by an 18-digit account number, producing one of the most straightforward Gulf IBAN structures.

Saudi Arabian IBAN at a Glance

• Country code: SA
• Total length: 24 characters (always)
• Format: SAkk bb cccccccccccccccccc
• BBAN length: 20 digits
• Character types: digits only after the country code

Saudi Arabian IBAN Structure Explained

1. Country Code — SA (2 characters)

The ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code for Saudi Arabia. Every Saudi IBAN begins with SA.

2. Check Digits — kk (2 digits)

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

3. Bank Code — bb (2 digits)

A 2-digit bank code assigned by SAMA (Saudi Central Bank). Saudi Arabia uses only 2 digits — shorter than most other IBAN countries. Assigned codes for major banks:

• 03 — Al Rajhi Bank
• 04 — Banque Saudi Fransi
• 05 — Riyad Bank
• 10 — Arab National Bank
• 15 — National Commercial Bank (Al Ahli)
• 80 — Saudi British Bank (SABB, formerly HSBC Saudi Arabia)

4. Account Number — cccccccccccccccccc (18 digits)

An 18-digit account number. This is the longest account number field in any Gulf IBAN — Saudi banks use long account numbers to support the high volume of retail and corporate accounts in the Kingdom.

Saudi IBAN Example Explained

SA03 8000 0000 6080 1016 7519

• Country: SA
• Check digits: 03
• Bank code: 80 (Saudi British Bank — SABB)
• Account number: 000000608010167519

Second Example — Al Rajhi Bank

SA44 2000 0001 2345 6789 0123

• Country: SA
• Check digits: 44
• Bank code: 20 (Al Rajhi Bank — note leading zero in 2-digit code)
• Account number: 000123456789012 3

How Saudi IBAN Validation Works

1. Country code check: First two characters must be exactly SA.
2. Length check: Total character count (spaces removed) must be exactly 24. Saudi IBANs are the same length as Spanish IBANs (ES24) but have a completely different internal structure.
3. Character type check: Positions 3–24 must all be decimal digits. Saudi IBANs are fully numeric after the country code.
4. MOD-97 check: Standard modulo 97 computation. Result must equal 1.

The ibanchecker.cash validator validates Saudi IBANs and shows the 2-digit bank code and the associated bank name in the result.

Saudi Arabia Is Not a SEPA Country

Saudi Arabia is not part of SEPA. All international transfers to Saudi accounts use the SWIFT network, not SEPA. 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 Saudi bank is required alongside the IBAN
• Currency is Saudi riyal (SAR) — no automated euro conversion at SEPA rates

Common Saudi IBAN Mistakes

Wrong Length — 22 or 26 Characters

Saudi IBANs are exactly 24 characters. A common error is treating the 18-digit account number as if it were shorter (producing 22 characters) or confusing the format with a longer Middle Eastern IBAN like Qatar (29 characters). Always count to 24 after removing spaces.

Missing the BIC Code for SWIFT Transfers

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

Spaces in Electronic Transmission

Remove all spaces: SA0380000000608010167519.

Saudi IBAN and SAMA Regulation

SAMA (Saudi Central Bank) made IBANs mandatory for all domestic Saudi transfers in 2009 and for all international transfers in 2010. Saudi banks will reject payments sent to a legacy account number without an IBAN. All Saudi banks provide the IBAN in online banking portals and on official bank statements.

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

Validating Saudi IBANs in Bulk

Finance teams processing Gulf region supplier payments can validate Saudi IBANs alongside UAE 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