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Belgium SWIFT/BIC code validator
How the SWIFT/BIC code format works
- Format
- 8 or 11-character bank identifier code, country code BE in positions 5-6
- Example
- KREDBEBB
Things to watch for
- Structure: 4-letter bank code + BE (country) + 2-character location code, plus an optional 3-character branch code
- An 8-character code (or one ending XXX) refers to the bank's head office, usually in Brussels
- No checksum digit — this is a format check only; it confirms positions 5-6 read BE, not that the bank or branch actually exists
^[A-Z]{4}BE[A-Z0-9]{2}([A-Z0-9]{3})?$A Belgian SWIFT/BIC code identifies the bank on an international wire transfer, paired with the 16-character Belgian IBAN. There’s a fitting bit of trivia here: SWIFT, the global cooperative that defines and administers the BIC standard used by every bank in this entire series of pages, is itself headquartered just outside Brussels, in La Hulpe. Every Belgian BIC has BE fixed at positions 5-6, right after the 4-letter bank code, and Belgium’s largest banks — several descended from institutions that trace back over a century — all base their SWIFT head office in the capital.
Major Belgian bank BIC prefixes
| Bank | BIC | Location |
|---|---|---|
| KBC Bank | KREDBEBB | Brussels |
| BNP Paribas Fortis | GEBABEBB | Brussels |
| Belfius Bank | GKCCBEBB | Brussels |
How this validator works
This tool checks that the code is 8 or 11 characters, the first 4 characters are letters, positions 5-6 read BE, and the location and optional branch segments use only letters and digits — entirely client-side, with nothing sent to a server.
What a pass doesn’t tell you
A pass confirms the code fits the Belgian BIC pattern, not that KRED, GEBA, or GKCC still names an operating bank, or that the branch suffix is current. A BIC has no checksum digit, so a fabricated code that matches the shape still passes.
Scope: format validation only. Belgian accounts also carry a 16-character IBAN with its own mod-97 checksum — a separate check from the BIC.
SWIFT/BIC code FAQ
What's the SWIFT code format for a Belgian bank?
A Belgian BIC is 8 or 11 characters: a 4-letter bank code, BE fixed at positions 5-6, a 2-character location code, and an optional 3-character branch code — for example KREDBEBB for KBC Bank's Brussels head office.
How do I read a Belgian BIC?
In GEBABEBB, GEBA identifies BNP Paribas Fortis — the prefix survives from Generale Bank, one of the older Belgian institutions absorbed into today's bank — BE is the country, and BB is the Brussels location code.
Is Belgium's SWIFT code special because SWIFT itself is Belgian?
In a sense — SWIFT, the cooperative that defines the BIC standard worldwide, is headquartered in La Hulpe, Belgium. That's an organizational fact rather than a formatting rule, though: Belgian banks' own BICs still follow the same universal structure as every other country's.