An IBAN is a long string of letters and digits that uniquely identifies your bank account. IBAN stands for International Bank Account Number. In Poland, this number starts with the letters PL, followed by 26 digits.
You need your IBAN, for example, when someone wants to transfer money to you, when you fill out a form at a government office, or when you return an item to an online shop. Checking your IBAN in your banking app (the program on your phone that you use to manage your account) takes less than a minute. You do not need to memorize anything or write it down on paper. Do not worry about breaking anything — simply looking at your account number does not change your money in any way. There is no "wrong button" you could press here.
How to check your IBAN — step by step
- Unlock your phone and find the icon of your bank's app on the screen — a small square image with your bank's logo.
- Tap this icon with your finger to open the app.
- Log in to the app — usually with your fingerprint, face recognition, or by entering your PIN code (a short, secret number that only you know).
- Wait for the main screen of the app to appear — you will see your account balance there, meaning the current amount of money in your account.
- Tap your account name or the balance amount — in most apps, this opens the account details.
- Look for the words "Account details," "Account info," or an icon with the letter "i" in a circle (it means information), and tap it.
- On the details screen, you will find your IBAN — a long string of letters and numbers starting with "PL."
- If you want to copy your IBAN, tap and hold it with your finger for a second until the "Copy" option appears.
- Paste the copied number wherever you need it — tap the text field and hold until the "Paste" option appears.
What to do if something goes wrong
- Can't find your IBAN in the app? Check the "Settings" or "My account" section — sometimes the number is hidden under a different name, such as "Account number." If you still cannot find it, call your bank's customer service line — the number is printed on the back of your payment card.
- The app shows the number in a different format? For example, without the letters "PL," or split into groups of 4 digits with spaces. It is still the same number — just displayed differently. You can use it in any of these forms; the copied version usually has no spaces.
- Can't log in to the app? Check that you are entering your PIN code correctly, and try again slowly. If the app locks you out, contact your bank by phone — you will find the number on your payment card or on the bank's website.
You can safely share your IBAN with other people — it is meant for receiving money, and on its own it does not let anyone withdraw funds from your account. However, be careful if someone calls claiming to be from your bank and asks for both your account number and an SMS code (a one-time code your bank sends to confirm a transaction) — this is a common scam. A real bank will never ask you to read out an SMS code over the phone. If someone asks you to do this, hang up and call the number printed on the back of your payment card to report the attempted scam.
If you are still looking for a banking app, or considering opening a new personal account, you can compare bank offers at /konta-osobiste.