Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is IBAN
A: IBAN stands for the International Bank Account Number (IBAN). An IBAN is a unique number that is
generated for each and every account held with HBL. The IBAN for Pakistan will be 24 digits in length and
will contain the following information; Country Code, Security Digits, Bank Code followed by your current
Bank Account Number.
Q: Will IBAN replace my existing Account Number
A: No, IBAN will not replace your existing HBL Account number. Additional characters will appear in front of
the existing bank account number and the whole sequence of alpha numeric digits will be known as the IBAN.
Q: What is the difference between an IBAN and a normal bank account number and what are its
distinguishing features
A: An IBAN can always be distinguished from a normal account number by the following:
Two letters at the beginning of the IBAN, which refer to the country code where the account resides;
Two numbers (in the third and fourth position of the IBAN) which represents security digits;
Four letters (after the security digits) to identify the respective bank where the beneficiary maintains his/her
account; and the last 16 numeric digits represent the beneficiary account number with leading zeros. The length
of IBAN in Pakistan is 24 characters.

PAKISTAN IBAN FORMAT

Country Check
Code
Digit
CC
PK

CD
??*

Basic Bank Account Number

Bank
Domestic Account
Code
Number
BBBB AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
HABB 0012345678901234

*The check digit is a numeric variable

Q: What is the benefit of IBAN

A: The main benefit of IBAN is to facilitate the automatic processing of money transfers between countries
which are IBAN compliant. Since banks are required to check the accuracy of the IBAN at the point of
initiating a funds transfer, they can only make the funds transfer which carry the correct IBAN.
Q: How will I get to know the IBAN for my account(s) with HBL
A: IBAN was printed on your Statement of Account(s) that were dispatched to you in January 2013. A letter in
English and Urdu was also enclosed, however if you have not received the printed communication you can
always enquire about your IBAN from your branch. In due course your new cheque book will also contain the
IBAN number in addition to your normal bank account number printed on it.
Q: Is there a standard way to write an IBAN?
A: When you write or print an IBAN on a document, it has to be split into six groups of four characters each,
e.g. PK25 HABB 0012 3456 7890 8765.
However, there should not be any blank spaces when entering the IBAN in an electronic payment system e.g. in
Internet Banking. The IBAN should be presented in an electronic payment system as a continuous string of
characters i.e. PK25 HABB0012345678908765.
Q: For which transaction(s) can IBAN be used?
Initially IBAN, will be used for cross-border payments and remittance transactions that you expect to receive in
your account or send from your account to countries which are IBAN compliant.
Q: Currently, I use electronic delivery channels (HBL Internet Banking, ATM & Phone banking); do I
need the IBAN when initiating electronic payments to banks in Pakistan?
A: Initially you will not need an IBAN on Internet Banking or ATM for local or interbank transactions.
Q: Is IBAN to be used only for international payments?
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A: No. As per State Bank of Pakistans recommendations, customers will have to use IBAN in making and
receiving domestic electronic payments and for fund transfer transactions later in the year 2013.
Q: Is IBAN required for depositing and withdrawing of my funds from branch counters?
A: IBAN is not required for cheque withdrawals, cheque deposits or cash deposits.
Q: What happens if we do not mention Beneficiarys IBAN for countries where there is a mandatory
requirement for IBAN Usage?
A: Banks will not process and will reject such transfers if they do not contain a valid IBAN account number.
Furthermore, there may be additional rejection charges applied to the transfer.
Q: When will IBAN be fully implemented in Pakistan ?
A: As per State Bank of Pakistans Payment Systems Department Circular Number 02 dated May 15, 2012
IBAN Implementation Guidelines, IBAN implementation in Pakistan has been divided into two phases; In
phase 1 all banks are required to generate and inform their customers of the IBAN number by 31st December
2012. This date was extended to 31st January 2013. In phase 2, IBAN will be operationally captured both for
domestic as well as for international financial transactions by June 2013.
Q: How can I validate an IBAN number on my own?
A: You can visit IBAN validation websites available on the Internet.
Q: Which countries are currently using IBAN ?
A: As of December 2012, 61 countries in total are currently using IBAN. Details of IBAN can be obtained from
the IBAN Registry at the SWIFT website:
http://www.swift.com/dsp/resources/documents/IBAN_Registry.pdf

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