The Bank Codes allotted to Bank Branches by the Germany Central Bank, The Deutsche Bundesbank for the identification of a payment service provider is called Bank Sort Codes. Generally each Bank branch is identified by its sort code, but two or more Bank Branches may share the same Sort Code in Germany.
Sort Codes are used in Germany by Banks to transfer payments from one Bank Account to another Bank Account, within a Bank Branch or between a Bank's different branches or between different Banks.
Your Bank Account Sort Code is printed on your Cheque Book. You can also find your Bank Account Sort Code in your Banks Mobile APP or Web Application. Login to your Bank\'s Mobile APP or Web APP and you will see six digits no. which is your Bank Account Sort Code. Your Bank Account Sort Code is also included in IBAN No. In United Kingdom IBAN Numbers, check Character 5 to 12 from left, which is your Bank Account Sort Code.
The first digit of the bank sort code essentially refers to the clearing area in which the
payment service provider is domiciled.
The first three digits of the bank sort code form the location number, which refers to a bank
place (location of the nearest Bundesbank branch), as well as the related bank district (bank
place and the surrounding area).
The fourth digit of the bank sort code refers to the group of institutions.
The first four digits of a new bank sort code are determined by the Bundesbank. As a rule,
the applicant determines the institution-specific part of the number (fifth to eighth digits of the
bank sort code) in consultation with the Bundesbank. Additional bank sort codes - issued to
payment service providers for the separate execution of payments from specific business
areas with significant payment volumes - differ from the main bank sort code in the seventh
and eighth digits.
If a payment service provider leaves a group of institutions, it may continue to use the bank
sort code only with the consent of the relevant group of institutions.