How to Find Your German Bank Code (Bankleitzahl, BLZ)
Find your German bank code (Bankleitzahl, BLZ) in three steps: from the IBAN, in online banking or on your card. BLZ structure, BIC lookup and the biggest German banks.
The German bank code sits right in the middle of your IBAN, at positions 5 to 12. It has been part of the German banking system since 1970 and shows at a glance which banking group an account belongs to. This article walks through the three reliable ways to find your bank code (Bankleitzahl, BLZ), explains how the eight digits are built and lists the most important bank codes of the major German banks.
What a bank code is
The bank code (Bankleitzahl, BLZ) is an eight-digit identifier that uniquely marks every bank branch in Germany. It was introduced on 1 January 1970 by the Deutsche Bundesbank to automate cashless payments. Before that, transfers had to be addressed by hand using bank names, which constantly led to mix-ups among the thousands of savings banks, cooperative banks and private banks.
Since the SEPA changeover in 2014, the bank code is no longer needed as a separate field for transfers, because it is fully contained in the IBAN. Even so, it remains a central part of the German banking system: for internal clearing between banks, for mapping to the BIC/SWIFT code, for direct debit mandates and for many administrative processes that keep running in the background.
Three ways to find your bank code
1. Read it from the IBAN
The fastest way: the BLZ is in the IBAN at positions 5 to 12. A German IBAN always has 22 characters and is built like this:
| Position | Characters | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | DE | Country code |
| 3 to 4 | 89 | Check digits |
| 5 to 12 | 37040044 | Bank code (BLZ) |
| 13 to 22 | 0532013000 | Account number |
Got your IBAN handy? Just read off digits 5 to 12, and that is the BLZ. Alternatively, you can enter the IBAN directly into the IBAN validator and it shows you the bank code, bank name and BIC automatically.
2. Look it up in online banking
Every bank shows the IBAN and BLZ in online banking. Check under account details, account information or account overview. In most banking apps you find the figures by tapping your current account and then “account data” or “show IBAN”.
3. On the statement or the debit card
The IBAN is printed on every bank statement. At many banks the BLZ is also printed on the debit card, often together with the account number on the back of the card. On newer debit cards (from N26 or DKB, for example) only the IBAN appears there, because the back of the card is kept more minimal, so you have to pull the BLZ out of the IBAN.
The structure of a bank code
The eight digits of the BLZ are not handed out at random. They follow a fixed scheme set by the Bundesbank. With a little practice you can read out of any BLZ where the bank is based and which banking group it belongs to.
At a glance:
| Digit | Meaning | Example (BLZ 50070010) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clearing area of the Bundesbank | 5 = Frankfurt |
| 2 to 3 | Bank district within the clearing area | 00 = Frankfurt centre |
| 4 | Banking group (0 = Bundesbank, 1 = major banks, 4 = Commerzbank, 5 = savings banks, 6/9 = cooperative banks, 7 = Deutsche Bank) | 7 = Deutsche Bank |
| 5 to 8 | Individual number of the institution | 0010 |
What the first digit tells you
The first digit assigns the bank to one of the eight Bundesbank head offices. Roughly, that mapping looks like this:
| First digit | Region |
|---|---|
| 1 | Berlin / Brandenburg |
| 2 | Hamburg / Bremen / Lower Saxony |
| 3 | Düsseldorf / NRW West |
| 4 | Münster / NRW East |
| 5 | Frankfurt / Hesse / Rhineland-Palatinate / Saarland |
| 6 | Stuttgart / Baden-Württemberg |
| 7 | Munich / Bavaria |
| 8 | Leipzig / Saxony / Thuringia / Saxony-Anhalt |
This regional mapping refers to where the bank’s region is based, not to the actual location of the account. A direct bank headquartered in Frankfurt always has a BLZ starting with a 5, even if the account holder lives in Kiel.
The fourth digit and the banking groups
Position 4 reveals the banking group at a glance:
- 1, 2, 3: usually major banks (Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank, HypoVereinsbank)
- 4: Commerzbank group
- 5: savings banks (Sparkassen)
- 6 or 9: cooperative banks (Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken)
- 7: Deutsche Bank
- 0: Bundesbank and central state banks
A few direct banks and fintechs break this scheme, because as independent credit institutions they get their own BLZ number ranges. N26, for instance, uses BLZ 10011001 (Berlin, the “neobank” segment).
From the BLZ to the BIC
The bank code identifies a bank nationally, while the BIC (Bank Identifier Code, also called the SWIFT code) identifies it internationally. For SEPA transfers within the EU you have only needed the IBAN since 2016, but for international transfers outside the SEPA area the BIC is also required.
The BLZ to BIC conversion runs through the Bundesbank directory. You do not have to do the mapping by hand: our BIC calculator derives the BIC from a BLZ or IBAN automatically, using the current Bundesbank file.
Bank mergers and BLZ changes
When a bank merges with another or is taken over, the BLZ and BIC usually change too. The old numbers normally stay valid in parallel for a few months and are then removed from the Bundesbank file.
Prominent examples from recent years:
- Postbank was taken over by Deutsche Bank (majority stake in 2010, SE conversion in 2018, full integration in 2023). The old Postbank bank codes stay usable but are being re-keyed to Deutsche Bank codes over the long term.
- Dresdner Bank was integrated into Commerzbank in 2009. Old Dresdner bank codes (5xx800xx) were migrated to Commerzbank codes (5xx40xxx) over several years.
- Savings bank mergers at the state level, such as Sparkasse Hannover with Sparkasse Barsinghausen. Here the bank codes are updated, but operations run through a 6 to 12 month transition period with the old numbers still valid in parallel.
Anyone who regularly sends transfers to a particular bank should check the BLZ against the statement at least once a year. With SEPA transfers a changed BLZ would already be reflected in the new IBAN, but with saved payees or standing orders, an overlooked change leads to rejections.
BLZ and IBAN: how they connect
The BLZ is an integral part of the German IBAN. If you want to convert an account number into an IBAN, you need the bank code. The formula is:
DE + check digits + BLZ (8 digits) + account number (10 digits) = IBAN (22 characters)
Shorter account numbers are padded on the left with zeros. The full structure of the German IBAN is explained in the guide IBAN structure explained.
Bank codes of the 10 largest German banks
| Bank | BLZ | Head office |
|---|---|---|
| Deutsche Bank | 50070010 | Frankfurt |
| Commerzbank | 50040000 | Frankfurt |
| ING | 50010517 | Frankfurt |
| DKB | 12030000 | Berlin |
| N26 | 10011001 | Berlin |
| Postbank | 10010010 | Bonn |
| HypoVereinsbank | 70020270 | Munich |
| Targobank | 30020900 | Düsseldorf |
| Comdirect | 20041133 | Quickborn |
| Sparkasse KölnBonn | 37050198 | Cologne |
Note: many banks use several BLZ for regional branches. Deutsche Bank alone has more than 50 different bank codes, depending on the federal state and district. You will find the full list in the bank directory.
Frequently asked questions
Is the bank code the same as the BIC? No. The BLZ is an eight-digit national identifier used only in Germany. The BIC is an international code with 8 or 11 characters that is used worldwide. The two are linked: through the Bundesbank directory, every BLZ can be mapped to a BIC. Our BIC calculator does this automatically.
Do I still need the BLZ for transfers? For SEPA transfers within the EU, the IBAN alone has been enough since February 2016, because the BLZ is already contained in it. For international transfers outside the SEPA area you also need the BIC, which can be derived from the BLZ.
Do all branches of a bank have the same BLZ? Often not. Savings banks, for example, have a different BLZ for each regional Sparkasse. At some banks (Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank) the BLZ differs by federal state or district. Cooperative banks (Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken) almost always have their own BLZ per institution, because legally they are independent cooperatives.
How do I find the bank code of a foreign bank? You cannot, because the bank code is a purely German system. Other countries use their own national bank identification numbers: Austria, for instance, has a five-digit BLZ, Switzerland a six-digit BC number and the United Kingdom the sort code. Internationally, the BIC/SWIFT code applies.
Does the BLZ change if I switch banks? Yes, necessarily, because the BLZ and BIC belong to the bank, not to the account holder. When you move from a savings bank to Commerzbank, the BLZ, BIC, IBAN and account number all change completely.
What it comes down to
The bank code is mostly active in the background these days. It sits in every IBAN at positions 5 to 12, identifies your bank uniquely and is the bridge to the international BIC system. Anyone holding an IBAN already has the BLZ along with it, and the IBAN validator shows it plus the bank name plus the BIC in a single step. For international transfers the BIC calculator is worth using, and anyone who wants to know how the BLZ and account number combine into an IBAN will find the calculation rule in the guide Convert account number to IBAN.
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ByMateusz Viola · Last reviewed