How is a Hungarian bank account number structured?
A Hungarian account number is not random: every block has its own job.
16 or 24 digits
A Hungarian domestic bank account number comes in two forms: 2×8, that is 16 digits, or 3×8, that is 24 digits. The two are the same account — the last eight digits of the 24-digit form are all zeros when the account was issued in 16-digit form. That is why the same account can be written both as 11711034-20000000 and as 11711034-20000000-00000000.
The hyphens are not part of the number; they only make it readable. For a transfer it makes no difference whether you enter them or not.
The first three digits: the routing code
The first three digits are the routing code (irányítókód) of the account-holding institution. This is the only part of an account number that yields public information: which bank holds the account. The routing codes are maintained by the Hungarian National Bank (MNB) in its payments master registry.
One bank can hold several routing codes, and after bank mergers the old codes typically survive for a while under the new institution's name. That is why two seemingly different codes can lead to the same bank.
Digits four to seven: the branch
The next four digits identify the branch or organisational unit where the account was opened. Its practical significance is small today: accounts are no longer tied to a branch the way they used to be, and the number does not change if that branch closes.
The eighth digit: the check digit
The last digit of the first block is a check digit. It encrypts nothing — its job is to catch most mistyped account numbers before a transfer is sent. If you mistype a digit or swap two, the check digit will most likely no longer match and the bank rejects the order.
That is why a garbled account number usually produces an error message rather than a transfer to a stranger's account. The protection is not perfect, though: some typos leave the check digit valid, so it is worth verifying the beneficiary's name as well.
Account number and IBAN
The Hungarian IBAN used for international transfers is built from the domestic account number: HU + two check digits + the 24-digit domestic number, 28 characters in total. If you only have a 16-digit account number, the missing eight zeros go at the end.
For domestic transfers no IBAN is needed; the 16- or 24-digit form is enough.
You cannot look up the owner
Even the most-searched form of this question gets the same answer: no public database can tell you who owns a bank account. No such lookup exists — and not because nobody has built it yet.
The identity of an account holder is banking secrecy. Under the Hungarian act on credit institutions, a bank may only disclose it to the customer, or in cases defined by law — to courts, authorities and investigators on formal request. Anyone promising to find an account's owner from its number is either not doing what they claim, or working from data they should never have received.
What can be established: which bank holds the account. That follows from the routing code, and we maintain a page for every live routing code.
Frequently asked questions
How many digits does a Hungarian bank account number have?
16 or 24 digits, in two or three blocks of eight. Both denote the same account: the last eight digits of the 24-digit form are zeros when the account was issued in 16-digit form.
Which bank does an account number belong to?
The first three digits — the routing code — identify the account-holding institution. That is public information, from the Hungarian National Bank's payments master registry.
Who owns a given bank account?
That cannot be established from public data. The account holder's identity is banking secrecy, which a bank only discloses to the customer or, in cases defined by law, to authorities on formal request.
What does the check digit in the account number do?
The eighth digit of the first block is a check digit: it catches most mistyped account numbers before a transfer goes out. It is not perfect, so verify the beneficiary's name too.