Swedish IBAN Format (SE): Structure, Clearing Numbers, and SEPA Currency Notes

The Swedish IBAN is 24 characters long and encodes Sweden's unique domestic clearing number system — a combination of a 3-digit bank code and a variable-length clearing number — alongside a 17-digit account segment. Sweden is a SEPA member but not a eurozone country, retaining the Swedish krona (SEK). This currency distinction has practical implications for businesses sending SEPA payments to Swedish accounts: the transfer settles in euros and the Swedish bank handles the conversion.

Swedish IBAN at a Glance

• Country code: SE
• Total length: 24 characters (always)
• Format: SEkk bbb ccccccccccccccccc x
• BBAN length: 20 digits
• Character types: digits only after the country code

Swedish IBAN Structure Explained

1. Country Code — SE (2 characters)

The ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code for Sweden. Every Swedish IBAN begins with SE.

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 bank. This is derived from the first 3 digits of the Swedish clearing number (clearingnummer). Common Swedish bank codes:

• 500 — Swedbank (formerly Sparbanken)
• 300 — Nordea (via clearing range)
• 800 — Swedbank (Sparbanken Syd range)
• 600 — Handelsbanken

4. Account Segment — ccccccccccccccccc (17 digits)

The 17-digit BBAN account segment encodes both the remaining clearing number digits and the individual account number. Sweden's domestic account system uses variable-length clearing numbers (4–5 digits) and variable-length account numbers, which are normalized into a fixed 17-digit field for the IBAN. The final digit is a check digit computed using a modulo-11 algorithm.

Swedish IBAN Example Explained

SE45 5000 0000 0583 9825 7466

• Country: SE
• Check digits: 45
• Bank code: 500 (Swedbank)
• Account segment: 00000005839825746 + check digit 6

Second Example — Handelsbanken

SE35 6000 0000 0500 0000 3037

• Country: SE
• Check digits: 35
• Bank code: 600 (Handelsbanken)
• Account segment: 00000005000000303 + check digit 7

How Swedish IBAN Validation Works

1. Country code check: First two characters must be exactly SE.
2. Length check: Total character count (spaces removed) must be exactly 24.
3. Character type check: Positions 3–24 must all be decimal digits.
4. MOD-97 check: Standard modulo 97 computation. Result must equal 1.

The ibanchecker.cash validator validates Swedish IBANs and identifies the bank from the clearing number prefix.

Common Swedish IBAN Mistakes

Using the Clearing Number Directly

Swedish bank transfers historically used the clearing number (4–5 digits) plus the account number. The IBAN packs both into a normalized 20-digit BBAN field. Entering the raw clearing number and account number side by side without normalization produces an IBAN that fails check digit validation.

Currency Confusion for SEPA Payments

SEPA Credit Transfers to Sweden are denominated in euros. If the recipient's account is in SEK, the receiving bank performs the currency conversion. Finance teams must decide whether to send in EUR (and accept the conversion rate) or use SWIFT to send in SEK directly.

Spaces in Electronic Transmission

Remove all spaces: SE4550000000058398257466.

Swedish IBAN and SEPA

Sweden joined SEPA in 2009. Swedish IBANs are accepted for SEPA Credit Transfers, but the settlement is in euros — not Swedish krona. For payments specifically in SEK, SWIFT transfers are used. Look up any Swedish bank's BIC using the ibanchecker.cash SWIFT directory.

Validating Swedish IBANs in Bulk

Finance teams with Nordic supplier lists can validate Swedish IBANs alongside Danish and Norwegian ones using the ibanchecker.cash bulk checker. Upload a CSV with up to 100 IBANs and receive per-row results with bank identification and error details.

Last updated: June 2026