A customer abroad asks for your IBAN and your BIC, or a payment form has a field for the recipient’s BIC. If the account number contains INGB, you are looking for the BIC of ING. The answer is short: BIC INGB goes with INGBNL2A, the BIC of ING. What those eight characters mean and when you really need them takes a little more explanation.
Below you can read what the BIC of ING is, how a BIC is built and where the same four letters appear in your IBAN. After that you can read when you have to enter a BIC, when the IBAN is enough and how to look up the BIC of another bank.
In short:
- The BIC of ING is INGBNL2A, says ING itself. In the 11-character form it is INGBNL2AXXX. The BIC of ING is also called the SWIFT address or SWIFT code.
- The letters INGB also appear in a Dutch IBAN at ING: they are the four letters after the country code and the check digits.
- For a euro transfer within the EU and the EEA you do not need a BIC. The IBAN is enough.
- For payments to and from countries outside SEPA you always give the BIC of the recipient’s bank as well as the IBAN.
What is the BIC of ING?
On its own website ING puts it like this: «De BIC van de ING is INGBNL2A» (the BIC of ING is INGBNL2A). ING also calls the BIC the SWIFT address or SWIFT code, so anyone searching for the ING SWIFT code finds the same eight characters. Some countries ask for an 11-character code. Then, according to ING, XXX is added, so the BIC for a payment to an ING account becomes INGBNL2AXXX. To receive money from abroad on an ING account, according to ING you give the payer the BIC INGBNL2A and the IBAN. In the regular payment screen ING fills in the BIC itself. For a world payment that does not always happen, because the IBAN has not yet been introduced worldwide; then you enter the correct BIC yourself.
INGBNL2A broken down
Every BIC follows the same pattern, laid down in the international standard ISO 9362. A BIC consists of letters and digits, in fixed blocks. For INGBNL2A it looks like this:
| Part | Characters | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| INGB | 1 to 4 | The financial institution: ING |
| NL | 5 and 6 | The country code: the Netherlands |
| 2A | 7 and 8 | The SWIFT time zone and the network code |
| XXX | 9 to 11 (optional) | A branch or department; XXX pads the code to 11 characters |
What is a BIC code?
BIC stands for Business Identifier Code, also called Bank Identifier Code. It is a code that identifies a bank in international payments, and every bank has its own BIC. Betaalvereniging Nederland, the Dutch payments association, describes it like this: a BIC is a code of 8 to 11 letters and digits. The first four characters identify the financial institution, characters 5 and 6 are the country code, and characters 7 and 8 the time zone and the network code. Any extra characters usually point to a department or office.
A BIC number, as it is also called in everyday language, is issued by Swift, the organisation behind the international network for payment messages. Swift does this as the registration authority for the ISO standard. Dutch BICs for regular SEPA payments are almost always 8 characters long according to Betaalvereniging Nederland, with NL as the country code and 2 as the time zone.
The standard itself says what the code is for: addressing messages, routing business transactions and identifying parties. Swift distinguishes two types. A connected BIC has access to the Swift network, a non-connected BIC does not and is used for reference only. For a payment to a bank, use the BIC that the bank itself gives for payments.
BIC or SWIFT code
BIC or SWIFT code: it does not matter which name you use. ING uses both names for the same code. Swift is the name of the network and the organisation; BIC is the official name of the code itself. If you look up a bank’s code, you find it under both names.
In summary: a BIC is the international address of a bank, in 8 or 11 characters. At ING it is INGBNL2A, or INGBNL2AXXX if a form asks for 11 characters.
INGB in your IBAN
A Dutch IBAN has 18 characters. It always starts with the country code NL, followed by 2 check digits. Then comes a 4-letter bank code, which shows which payment service provider issued the IBAN, and finally 10 digits. Those last 10 digits are set entirely by the payment service provider that issues the IBAN. In the example ING itself uses, NL20INGB0001234567, INGB is ING’s bank code.
That INGB is also the start of the BIC is no coincidence. According to Betaalvereniging Nederland, the four-letter bank code in a Dutch IBAN is always the same as the first four letters of the matching BIC. That is why a bank can derive the BIC from the IBAN itself within SEPA. One caveat: after a merger of two banks, a Dutch bank code may no longer resemble the name of the new bank.
IBAN and BIC: the difference
IBAN and BIC sit next to each other in payment forms, but they do different things. The IBAN identifies every account holder, including bank and country, says ING. Thanks to that unique number, banks can process a payment fully automatically. The BIC only identifies the bank, not the account. At a glance:
| Feature | IBAN | BIC |
|---|---|---|
| What it identifies | One account, with bank and country | A bank or payment service provider |
| Length | 18 characters for a Dutch IBAN | 8 or 11 characters |
| Needed within SEPA in euro | Always | Not needed within the EEA: the bank derives it from the IBAN |
| Needed outside SEPA | Yes, or an account number | Yes, the BIC of the recipient’s bank |
In short: the IBAN is the address of the account, the BIC the address of the bank. Within SEPA the bank is already part of the IBAN, and that is why the IBAN is enough.
When do you need a BIC?
You do not always have to enter a BIC code. For euro transfers within the European Union the SEPA Regulation applies. Since 1 February 2014 payment service providers may no longer ask their customers for the BIC for payments within the Netherlands, and since 1 February 2016 not for payments to other EU countries either. By situation:
The exception for SEPA countries outside the EEA is in the rules of the European Payments Council: only if one of the two banks is located there can the BIC be requested. For an ordinary payment within the Netherlands a payer in principle never has to state a BIC, according to Betaalvereniging Nederland. The same logic applies to a SEPA direct debit: there too the IBAN is enough.
Paying in another currency
The rule that the IBAN is enough comes from the SEPA Regulation, which covers euro transfers. If you pay in another currency, the payment falls outside it, even if the recipient is in a SEPA country. ING, for example, handles such a payment as a world payment (wereldbetaling). For a country where the IBAN has not been fully introduced, the BIC is mandatory; some countries also ask for a national bank code. So for such a payment, always check which details your bank asks for.
Who pays the costs
With an international payment, besides the BIC there is also the question of who bears the costs. For a European transfer the costs are always shared according to ING: each party pays its own bank’s costs (SHA). If you choose OUR for a payment outside SEPA, you pay all the costs yourself, including those of the recipient’s bank. With SHA the recipient pays the costs of their own bank.
IBAN and BIC on your invoice
ING advises putting the IBAN and BIC on your letterhead and invoices, so that foreign business contacts can use your IBAN for their payments. For a customer within the EU the BIC is not needed, but it does no harm. For a customer outside SEPA it saves a question and the risk of the payment getting stuck on a wrong code.
A wrong BIC
If the BIC is wrong for a payment outside SEPA, the foreign bank may refuse the order and send it back. ING warns that this can happen with costs deducted, so you do not get the full amount back. According to ING you only get a correct BIC through the recipient or the recipient’s bank. So do not copy a BIC from an old invoice or a search result without checking it. Since October 2025 payment service providers must also check, for a European transfer, whether the recipient’s name and IBAN belong together before you confirm the payment, writes Betaalvereniging Nederland.
Good to know: within SEPA the bank derives the BIC from the IBAN itself. Outside SEPA you have to enter it yourself, and there every letter counts.
Looking up a BIC
What is my BIC? Your own BIC is at your own bank: ING names the bank card, the online environment and the app as places where you find your account’s IBAN and BIC. If you bank elsewhere, look in your app or online banking, or in your account confirmation. For a Dutch account, the first four letters of your BIC also appear as the bank code in your own IBAN.
Looking up someone else’s BIC code is quickest by asking. ING advises asking the recipient for the BIC or checking the website of the receiving bank. Betaalvereniging Nederland also mentions Swift’s free BIC search. For Dutch banks, Betaalvereniging Nederland publishes an overview of payment service providers and their BICs, as an Excel file. That overview is not complete: payment service providers are not obliged to be on it.
The BIC overview of Betaalvereniging Nederland
The overview of Betaalvereniging Nederland lists the BICs of payment service providers that issue Dutch IBANs. Next to each BIC is the four-letter identifier: the same bank code as in the IBAN. For ING that is INGB next to INGBNL2A. The overview is kept up to date and revised when something changes. Some payment service providers use additional BICs for payments outside SEPA, and those are not in it. For such a payment the recipient remains the best source.
Finding a recipient’s BIC in 4 steps
If you need the BIC code of ING or another bank for a payment, go about it like this:
If you pay in euro within the EU or the EEA, the IBAN is enough. Outside SEPA, for a payment in a currency other than the euro or with a SEPA country outside the EEA, the BIC may be needed.
Ask the recipient for both details, preferably as they appear on an invoice or account confirmation. A correct BIC comes from the recipient or their bank.
Compare the BIC with the website of the receiving bank or with Swift’s BIC search. For a Dutch account the first four letters must match the bank code in the IBAN.
Enter the IBAN, BIC and name and check the order before you send it. Save the details with the customer or supplier, so you do not have to look them up again next time.
IBAN and BIC at Vivid
With a business account from Vivid you get unlimited Dutch IBANs in every plan. Your IBAN and your BIC appear together with your company name and address in the account confirmation, which you download in the app and on the web. That way you have them at hand for a customer abroad.
Vivid in short: a Dutch IBAN with the BIC alongside it in the account confirmation, so you can give customers abroad the right details straight away.
A business account with a Dutch IBAN
Open a business account with Vivid online, with your IBAN and BIC in the account confirmation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the BIC of ING?
The BIC of ING is INGBNL2A. If a form asks for 11 characters, it becomes INGBNL2AXXX. ING also calls the BIC the SWIFT address or SWIFT code.
What does INGBNL2A mean?
INGB stands for the financial institution, NL for the Netherlands and 2A for the SWIFT time zone and the network code, according to Betaalvereniging Nederland. In the ISO 9362 standard characters 7 and 8 are called the business party suffix.
What does XXX after a BIC mean?
A BIC has 8 or 11 characters. The three extra characters identify a branch or department. If a form asks for 11 characters, while the bank uses an 8-character BIC? Then, according to ING, you pad it with XXX, as in INGBNL2AXXX.
Is a BIC the same as a SWIFT code?
Yes. At ING they are two names for the same code. Swift is the network and the organisation that issues the codes; BIC is the name of the code.
Do you need a BIC for a transfer within the Netherlands?
No. Since 1 February 2014 payment service providers may no longer ask for the BIC for euro payments within the Netherlands. The IBAN is enough.
Do you need a BIC for a payment to Switzerland or the United Kingdom?
Possibly. Both countries belong to SEPA, but not to the European Economic Area. Under the rules of the European Payments Council a bank may then ask for the BIC of the receiving bank. So keep it at hand.
Where do you find your own BIC?
At your own bank: in the app, in online banking or on an account confirmation. ING also mentions the bank card. The first four letters of the BIC appear as the bank code in your Dutch IBAN.
What happens with a wrong BIC?
For a payment outside SEPA the foreign bank may refuse the order and send it back, possibly with costs deducted. So ask the recipient for the BIC.
What is the difference between IBAN and BIC?
The IBAN identifies one account, including bank and country. The BIC identifies the bank. Within SEPA the IBAN is enough, because the bank can derive the BIC from it.
This article provides general information and is not legal or financial advice. The rules mentioned are as published by Betaalvereniging Nederland, the European Payments Council and Swift and as laid down in Regulation (EU) No 260/2012, and may change. ING’s details are as ING publishes them on its own website; Vivid is not affiliated with ING. Vivid’s payment services are provided by Vivid Money S.A., an electronic money institution authorised and regulated by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) in Luxembourg; its Dutch branch is registered with De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) as an electronic money institution. Brand names mentioned belong to their respective owners.
