The main Barclays UK SWIFT/BIC code is BUKBGB22 (or BUKBGB22XXX in 11-character form) for Barclays Bank UK PLC, and BARCGB22 (or BARCGB22XXX) for Barclays Bank PLC, the corporate and international entity. Your full Barclays IBAN — used to receive international payments to your account — starts with GB, contains BARC as the bank identifier, and is shown in your Barclays online banking or app under account details. Branch-specific SWIFT codes exist (with three additional characters) but most international transfers use the head-office BIC.
Barclays SWIFT/BIC codes
Barclays operates under two separate registered banking entities in the UK, each with its own SWIFT/BIC code:
| Entity | SWIFT/BIC code | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Barclays Bank UK PLC | BUKBGB22 (or BUKBGB22XXX) | Personal and small business accounts in the UK |
| Barclays Bank PLC | BARCGB22 (or BARCGB22XXX) | Corporate banking, international banking, and Barclays’ wider operations |
The 8-character version (BUKBGB22) and the 11-character version with the “XXX” suffix (BUKBGB22XXX) both refer to the head office of Barclays Bank UK PLC and are functionally interchangeable. Most international transfers process correctly using either format.
Branch-specific SWIFT codes
Some Barclays branches have their own 11-character SWIFT codes, where the final three characters identify the specific branch (e.g., BUKBGB22GCM, BUKBGB22SLD). These are typically only needed for very specific corporate or treasury transactions. For standard international transfers to a personal Barclays account, the head-office code is what your sender should use.
If you’ve been asked for a branch-specific code, the safest way to confirm it is to log into Barclays online banking, view your account details, and copy the SWIFT/BIC code shown there — Barclays displays the correct code for your account automatically. You can also verify any SWIFT code using our free SWIFT code checker.
What is a Barclays IBAN?
An IBAN (International Bank Account Number) is the standardised format used to identify a specific bank account for international payments. A Barclays UK IBAN is up to 22 characters long and contains the country code, two check digits, the Barclays bank identifier, the branch sort code, and the account number.
Example Barclays IBAN structure
GB29 BARC 2006 0549 6819 58
This is a worked example for illustration only — your actual IBAN is unique to your account. The structure breaks down as:
| Component | Example | What it represents |
|---|---|---|
| Country code | GB | United Kingdom (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2) |
| Check digits | 29 | Mathematical check used to validate the IBAN |
| Bank identifier | BARC | Barclays |
| Sort code | 200605 | The 6-digit branch sort code, shown without dashes |
| Account number | 49681958 | The 8-digit account number |
The two check digits aren’t arbitrary — they’re calculated from the rest of the IBAN using a modulo-97 algorithm. If you mistype any character in the IBAN, the check fails and the payment is rejected before it leaves the sender’s bank. This built-in validation is one of the main reasons IBANs reduce errors compared to free-format account numbers.
How to find your Barclays IBAN
There are three reliable ways to find your Barclays IBAN:
- Barclays Online Banking — log in, select the account, click “Account Details” or “International payments”. Your IBAN and the relevant SWIFT/BIC code are shown together
- Barclays Mobile Banking app — open the app, tap the account, then “Account details”. Same information available there
- By phone — call Barclays customer service (the number is on the back of your debit card). Customer service can confirm your IBAN after security verification
Avoid third-party “IBAN generator” sites. They often produce structurally valid but unverified IBANs, and getting your IBAN wrong on a large international payment costs days of delay if the payment bounces back, or worse if it routes to a real but unintended account.
To verify an IBAN you’ve been given (your own or a recipient’s), use our free IBAN checker — it confirms the structure and check digits mathematically.
When you need IBAN vs SWIFT vs sort code
UK Barclays customers may need different combinations of codes depending on the transfer type:
| Transfer type | Required codes |
|---|---|
| Domestic UK (Faster Payments, BACS) | Sort code + account number |
| Domestic UK (CHAPS) | Sort code + account number + account holder name |
| SEPA payment (EUR within Europe) | IBAN (BIC sometimes requested) |
| International SWIFT (non-EUR or non-SEPA) | IBAN + SWIFT/BIC + recipient bank address |
| Receiving from outside the UK in any currency | IBAN + Barclays SWIFT/BIC code |
For deeper background on each code type and what they do, see our explainer on clearing codes.
What it costs to receive or send via Barclays
Having the right codes ensures the payment reaches the right account. It says nothing about what the payment will cost. Barclays applies fees and FX margin to international transfers in both directions:
- Sending an international transfer: typically £15–£25 transfer fee, plus an FX margin of around 2.75%–3.5% above the mid-market rate on currency conversion
- Receiving an international transfer: typically £6 for SHA charging (where correspondent fees come out of the transfer), but the FX margin still applies if Barclays converts the incoming foreign currency to GBP
- SEPA payments: typically free to send and free to receive for euro transfers within the SEPA zone
On a £50,000 conversion to euros, the difference between Barclays’ typical FX margin (~3%) and a specialist currency broker’s margin (~0.4%) is around £1,300. For larger transfers, the choice of provider has a bigger impact on total cost than every other fee combined.
As Anthony Bull, CEO of Cambridge Currencies, puts it: “Customers often find us when they realise Barclays is going to charge them a 3% margin on a property transfer to France or Spain. The IBAN and SWIFT code don’t change — the rail still runs through SWIFT or SEPA — but the FX margin is where the real cost sits. For anything above £3,000, a specialist broker handles the same payment for a fraction of the conversion cost.”
For a full breakdown of Barclays’ international transfer fees and how they compare to specialist providers, see our guide to Barclays international transfers.
Frequently asked questions
The main SWIFT code for Barclays Bank UK PLC is BUKBGB22 (or BUKBGB22XXX in 11-character form). For Barclays Bank PLC, the corporate and international entity, the code is BARCGB22 or BARCGB22XXX. Both refer to the head office; some branches have their own 11-character codes ending in three branch-specific characters.
Your Barclays IBAN is unique to your account and is shown in Barclays online banking and the mobile app under account details. A UK Barclays IBAN starts with GB, includes BARC as the bank identifier, and embeds your sort code and account number. The full IBAN is up to 22 characters long. Avoid third-party IBAN generators — check directly with Barclays.
BUKBGB22 is the SWIFT code for Barclays Bank UK PLC — the entity that holds personal and small business accounts in the UK. BARCGB22 is the SWIFT code for Barclays Bank PLC — the corporate and international banking entity. Most retail customers use BUKBGB22 for international transfers; corporate clients are more likely to use BARCGB22.
Yes, for most international payments to a Barclays UK account, the sender needs both your IBAN (to identify the account) and Barclays’ SWIFT/BIC code (to identify the bank). For SEPA payments from within Europe, the IBAN alone is usually sufficient, though some banks still ask for the BIC.
Sort codes are branch-specific — there is no single Barclays sort code. Barclays sort codes start with 20 (e.g., 20-XX-XX). Your own sort code is shown on your debit card, your bank statement, and in Barclays online banking under account details.
Use a free IBAN or SWIFT code checker to validate the structure mathematically. For SWIFT codes, the official SWIFT BIC directory at swift.com is the authoritative source. For IBANs, the built-in check digits make most typos detectable instantly — a free IBAN checker will confirm whether the IBAN is structurally valid.
Barclays typically charges £15–£25 to send an international transfer, plus an FX margin of around 2.75%–3.5% above the mid-market rate on currency conversion. Receiving an international transfer typically costs around £6. On larger transfers, the FX margin is the dominant cost — significantly higher than what a specialist currency broker would charge.
Yes. The Barclays SWIFT/BIC code identifies the bank, not the currency. You can use BUKBGB22XXX to receive payments in GBP, EUR, USD, or any major currency. Barclays may then convert the incoming foreign currency to GBP automatically, applying its FX margin at the prevailing rate.
Related guides
- Barclays international transfers — fees, FX margins, and how they compare
- Clearing codes explained — sort code, BIC, SWIFT, IBAN
- Free IBAN checker — validate any IBAN instantly
- Free SWIFT code checker — look up any BIC
Speak to a specialist before your next Barclays transfer
If you’re using your Barclays IBAN or SWIFT code to send or receive a larger international transfer, a specialist currency broker can offer tighter FX margins than Barclays — typically 0.3%–0.5% above mid-market versus 2.75%–3.5% at high-street banks. On a £50,000 transfer, that’s around £1,300 in difference.
Cambridge Currencies operates with FCA-authorised partners Currencycloud (FRN 900199) and ScioPay (FRN 927951). All transfers are handled by a named specialist by phone — they’ll show you the live rate, the margin compared to mid-market, and the saving versus a Barclays quote on the same payment.
Request a quote to see what your specific transfer would cost.
