Yemen IBAN Format (YE) — Structure, Length & Example

The Yemen IBAN is 30 characters long and follows the ISO 13616 standard administered by the Central Bank of Yemen (CBY). Yemen adopted the IBAN format to align with international payment standards and simplify cross-border transfers, particularly important for remittance flows from the Yemeni diaspora. Yemen is not a SEPA country; all international transfers use the SWIFT network and require both the IBAN and the receiving bank's BIC code.

Yemen IBAN at a Glance

• Country code: YE
• Total length: 30 characters (always)
• Format: YEkk bbbb ssss cccccccccccccccccc
• BBAN length: 26 characters
• Character types: 4-letter alphabetic bank code + 4-digit branch code + 18-character alphanumeric account number
• Currency: Yemeni Rial (YER)

Yemen IBAN Structure Explained

1. Country Code, YE (2 characters)

The ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code for Yemen. Every Yemeni IBAN begins with YE.

2. Check Digits, kk (2 digits)

Two decimal digits computed using the MOD-97 algorithm defined in ISO 7064. They detect transposition and single-digit errors before the payment is submitted across the SWIFT network.

3. Bank Code, bbbb (4 letters)

A 4-letter alphabetic code identifying the receiving bank. This code is derived from the first four characters of the bank's BIC/SWIFT code. Common Yemeni bank codes:

• ALMF, Al-Amal Microfinance Bank
• CBYY, Central Bank of Yemen (not used for commercial payments)
• NBOB, National Bank of Yemen
• YICB, Yemen International Bank for Trade and Industry
• CABY, CAC Bank (Cooperative and Agricultural Credit Bank)

4. Branch Code, ssss (4 digits)

Four numeric digits identifying the branch within the receiving bank. Head-office or centralised accounts commonly use 0000.

5. Account Number, cccccccccccccccccc (18 characters)

An 18-character account number. Under the ISO 13616 / SWIFT IBAN Registry specification this field is alphanumeric (digits and uppercase letters are both permitted), although in practice most Yemeni domestic account numbers are numeric. Account numbers shorter than 18 characters are left-padded to reach the required length.

Yemen IBAN Example Explained

YE27 ALMF 0000 0000 0000 0001 2345 60

• Country code: YE
• Check digits: 27
• Bank code: ALMF (Al-Amal Microfinance Bank)
• Branch code: 0000
• Account number: 000000000001234560

Note that the bank code is always uppercase alphabetic letters. Systems expecting a numeric bank code will reject valid Yemeni IBANs. The 4-digit branch code and 18-character account number together make up the 26-character BBAN.

How Yemeni IBAN Validation Works

1. Country code check: First two characters must be exactly YE.
2. Length check: Total character count with spaces removed must be exactly 30.
3. Character type check: Positions 5–8 must be uppercase letters (bank code); positions 9–12 must be digits (branch code); positions 13–30 are alphanumeric (account number).
4. MOD-97 check: Move the first four characters (YE + check digits) to the end of the string, replace each letter with its numeric value (Y=34, E=14, and those of the bank code letters), then divide by 97. The remainder must be 1.

The ibanchecker.cash validator performs all four checks automatically and returns the bank code and account breakdown for valid Yemeni IBANs.

Yemen Is Not a SEPA Country

Yemen is not a member of the Single Euro Payments Area. All international transfers to Yemeni accounts route via the SWIFT correspondent banking network. Key implications:

• Processing times of 2–7 business days depending on correspondent routing and sanctions screening
• Correspondent bank fees applied by intermediate institutions
• The BIC/SWIFT code of the Yemeni receiving bank must be provided alongside the IBAN
• Currency is the Yemeni rial (YER); USD-denominated transfers are common for international payments to Yemen

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

Compliance Considerations for Yemen Payments

International payments to Yemen require enhanced compliance awareness. Yemen is subject to targeted UN sanctions measures relating to specific individuals and entities connected with the ongoing conflict. Before initiating any transfer, verify the receiving party and bank against the OFAC Specially Designated Nationals list, the UN Security Council consolidated list, and EU restrictive measures. Transfers for legitimate humanitarian, trade, and family remittance purposes are generally permitted, but documentation requirements are stricter on this corridor than for most other destinations.

The Yemeni banking system has faced significant operational disruption since 2015. Confirm that your bank maintains an active correspondent relationship for Yemen before initiating a transfer. Some international banks have reduced their Yemen correspondent banking presence.

Finance teams processing payments to Yemen can run bulk IBAN validation alongside IBANs from other Middle Eastern and Gulf countries using the ibanchecker.cash bulk checker.

Common Yemen IBAN Mistakes

Treating the Bank Code as Numeric

The 4-character bank code in a Yemeni IBAN is always alphabetic, not numeric. This is consistent with Jordan (JO), Kuwait (KW), and other Middle Eastern IBAN formats that use the first four characters of the bank's SWIFT code as the bank identifier. Systems that expect an all-numeric BBAN will reject valid Yemeni IBANs.

Incomplete Account Number Padding

The branch and account fields must be fully padded on the left to fill all 26 BBAN characters. Shorter account numbers that have not been padded will cause the total IBAN length to fall below 30 characters, failing the length check. This is a common data entry error when copying account numbers directly from bank statements that do not show leading zeros.

Wrong Length

Yemeni IBANs are exactly 30 characters. This is the same length as Jordan (JO) and Kuwait (KW), but all three have different BBAN structures. A 30-character IBAN starting with YE is always Yemeni.

Sources & References

• SWIFT IBAN Registry — Official country IBAN format specifications
• ISO 13616 — International standard for IBAN
• Central Bank of Yemen — Payment system and banking regulations
• OFAC Yemen-related Sanctions — US Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control

Last updated: June 2026