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IBAN name check: can you verify that a name matches an IBAN?
2 min read
Yes, you can check whether a name matches an IBAN, but only through a paid name-IBAN verification at a bank. It compares the name against the account holder in bank records, which cannot run locally in your browser. What you can do for free and locally is check that the number itself is valid: length, characters and the MOD-97 checksum, plus the bank for Dutch numbers.
What is an IBAN name check?
A name-IBAN check looks at whether the name you enter belongs to the holder of an account. Banks use it to prevent typos and fraud: before you queue a transfer, you see whether "J. Jansen" really belongs to that account number. You may know it from the warning in your banking app when the name does not match the number.
Why it cannot run locally
To match a name to an IBAN you need to know the account holder, and that only lives in the banks' records. There is no public list of names by account number, and that is a good thing. A name check therefore always runs through a service allowed to query the bank, which is a paid connection. A tool in your browser does not have that access, and would also have to send your data somewhere to query anything. Honesty is honesty: Plainjar cannot do this, and pretending it can would be nonsense.
What you can do locally
What can run entirely in your browser is validating the number itself. Bulk-check IBANs checks whether an IBAN is structurally valid: the correct length per country, valid characters and the MOD-97 checksum that catches typos. For Dutch numbers you also see straight away which bank it belongs to. That catches most of the errors you want to spot before a payment, and your customer data is never uploaded. If you want to know exactly how that check works, read Check an IBAN.
Check your numbers locally: Bulk-check IBANs. Validating the number is free in your browser; the name check you leave to your bank.
Frequently asked questions
Can you check whether a name matches an IBAN?
Yes, but only through a paid name-IBAN verification at a bank. It compares the name against the account holder in bank records, which cannot run locally in your browser. What you can do locally is validate the number itself.
Can an IBAN name check run locally, without uploading my data?
No. A name check needs a bank source, reachable only through a paid service. Validating the number (length, characters, MOD-97) can run entirely locally, without uploading anything.
What can you check about an IBAN for free then?
Structural validity: the correct length, allowed characters and the MOD-97 checksum that catches typos. For Dutch numbers you also see the bank. You do that with bulk IBAN validation, and the per-number explanation is in the Check an IBAN post.