Albania IBAN Format (AL): Structure, Length & Example

The Albanian IBAN is a 28-character code introduced to align Albania's banking sector with European payment standards. Albania is not an EU member, but it joined the SEPA schemes' geographical scope in November 2024, so Albanian banks can now use IBANs both for SEPA euro transfers and for cross-border wire transfers. The AL format is distinctive: a 4-digit bank and branch identifier combined with a 1-digit national check digit and a 16-character account number.

Albanian IBAN at a Glance

• Country code: AL
• Total length: 28 characters (always)
• Format: ALkk bbbssss x cccccccccccccccc
• BBAN length: 24 characters
• Currency: Albanian Lek (ALL)
• SEPA member: No

Albanian IBAN Structure Explained

An Albanian IBAN encodes five components within its 28-character body:

1. Country Code, AL (2 characters)

The ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code for Albania. Every Albanian IBAN begins with AL.

2. Check Digits, kk (2 digits)

Two decimal digits calculated via the MOD-97 algorithm over the full BBAN. They protect against transcription errors and are recalculated if the account number or bank codes change.

3. Bank Code, bbb (3 digits)

A 3-digit code assigned by the Bank of Albania (Banka e Shqipërisë) identifying the financial institution. Major Albanian bank codes include:

• 212, Raiffeisen Bank Albania
• 213, Tirana Bank
• 221, Credins Bank
• 301, OTP Bank Albania
• 401, BKT (Banka Kombëtare Tregtare)

4. Branch Code, ssss (4 digits)

A 4-digit code identifying the specific branch within the bank. Albania retains branch-level granularity in its BBAN, unlike some fully centralised banking systems that use only a bank code.

5. National Check Digit, x (1 digit)

A single digit computed using Albania's domestic validation algorithm over the bank code, branch code, and account number. This check digit is separate from the 2-digit IBAN check digits at positions 3–4 and provides an additional error detection layer.

6. Account Number, cccccccccccccccc (16 characters)

A 16-character alphanumeric account number assigned by the bank. The account number may contain both digits and uppercase letters depending on the institution's numbering scheme.

Real Albanian IBAN Example

AL47 2121 1009 0000 0002 3569 8741

• Country: AL
• Check digits: 47
• Bank code: 212
• Branch code: 1100
• National check digit: 9
• Account number: 0000000235698741

Electronic format (no spaces): AL47212110090000000235698741

This is a specimen IBAN for illustrative purposes only. Validate any real Albanian IBAN instantly with the ibanchecker.cash validator.

How Albanian IBAN Validation Works

1. Country code: First two characters must be AL.
2. Length: Exactly 28 characters after removing spaces.
3. Character types: Positions 3–4 are digits (check digits). Positions 5–24 are digits. Positions 25–28 are alphanumeric (account number).
4. MOD-97: Rearrange the first four characters to the end, convert letters to numbers (A=10…Z=35), compute modulo 97. Result must equal 1.

The ibanchecker.cash validator performs all four checks and displays the bank code, branch code, and national check digit for any Albanian IBAN.

Albania's Banking System

The Bank of Albania (Banka e Shqipërisë) is the central bank and monetary authority, headquartered in Tirana. It supervises approximately 12 licensed commercial banks operating in Albania. The Albanian banking sector has undergone significant consolidation since 2015, with several state-owned banks privatised.

Key commercial banks in Albania include:

• Raiffeisen Bank Albania, the largest bank by assets, subsidiary of Raiffeisen Bank International
• BKT (Banka Kombëtare Tregtare), majority-owned by Çalık Holding (Turkey)
• Credins Bank, the largest domestically owned bank
• OTP Bank Albania, formerly Alpha Bank Albania, acquired by OTP Group
• Tirana Bank, subsidiary of Balfin Group

Look up any Albanian bank's SWIFT/BIC code using the ibanchecker.cash SWIFT directory.

SEPA Status and International Transfers

Albania joined the SEPA schemes' geographical scope in November 2024, one of the first EU enlargement partners admitted alongside Montenegro. Albanian payment service providers that have adhered can now send and receive SEPA Credit Transfers in euro, typically settling within one business day instead of a 1–3 day SWIFT wire. The BIC is still recommended, and a SWIFT wire remains the route for non-euro or non-SEPA payments.

Albania is an EU candidate country. The Albanian Lek (ALL) remains the domestic currency, so SEPA applies to euro-denominated transfers; adherence is rolled out per institution, so confirm the recipient bank's scheme participation.

Common Albanian IBAN Mistakes

Confusing AL with AT (Austria)

The codes AL and AT are visually similar. Austrian IBANs are 20 characters; Albanian IBANs are 28 characters. Any 28-character IBAN starting with AL is Albanian, the length alone rules out most confusion.

Omitting the National Check Digit

Some systems erroneously treat the BBAN as: 3-digit bank + 4-digit branch + 17-digit account. The correct split places a 1-digit national check digit between the branch code and account number, making the account number 16 characters, not 17.

Assuming Albania Is Outside SEPA

Since November 2024 Albania is part of the SEPA geographical scope, so many Albanian banks can receive euro SEPA Credit Transfers. Confirm the recipient bank's scheme participation before defaulting to a SWIFT wire, and include the BIC either way.

Validating Albanian IBANs in Bulk

Businesses with Albanian suppliers, subsidiaries, or payroll recipients can validate multiple IBANs simultaneously with the ibanchecker.cash bulk checker. Upload a CSV with up to 100 IBANs and receive instant validation results, bank name lookups, and BIC codes for every row.

Sources & References

• SWIFT IBAN Registry: Official IBAN country format specifications
• ISO 13616: IBAN international standard
• Bank of Albania: Official central bank and banking supervisor

Last updated: June 2026