Diagram illustrating the structure of an Issuer Identification Number (IIN) on a payment card

Issuer Identification Number (IIN) is the term used for the first 6 digits of 16-digit cards and the first 8 digits of 19-digit cards. It is more commonly known as BIN (Bank Identification Number).

The Issuer Identification Number (IIN) is defined by the ISO/IEC 7812 standard.

  • ISO/IEC 7812-1, Part 1: Identification cards - Identification of issuers - Numbering system, and
  • ISO/IEC 7812-2, Part 2: Cards - Identification of issuers - Application and registration procedures.
Figure 1 below shows the breakdown of the Primary Account Number (PAN), including the IIN, Individual Account Number, and Check Digit.

An IIN number is a unique value no matter where in the world it is used.

For example, the IIN number 435629 belongs to Turkiye Finans Katilim Bankasi, a Turkish participation bank.

So what does this 6-digit IIN number tell us?

IIN information is issued by payment schemes such as MasterCard, Troy and Visa. The detailed information for each IIN is kept in the IIN table.

The IIN table contains the following information:

Card Scheme : Indicates which card payment scheme the card belongs to. For example, Visa, MasterCard, Troy, Amex

Card Type : Shows the type information of the card. It indicates whether it is a credit card or a debit card.

Prepaid? : Held as Yes/No. If this field is Yes, the card is a prepaid card; if No, the card is not a prepaid card.

Card Sub-type : Shows the sub-type information defined for the relevant card type. For example, Visa debit cards are Electron. Visa credit cards are differentiated as classic, gold, etc.

Card Number_Length : The field that shows how many digits the card number consists of. It is usually 16 digits.

Card Number_Luhn Algorithm : Indicates whether the card number is generated according to the Luhn algorithm. It is held as Yes/No.

Bank Code : The code information of the bank that owns the IIN number.

Country : The country information of the bank that owns the IIN number.

Product Type : Indicates the product type under which the card was issued. For example, standard card, virtual card, etc.

By entering an IIN number at the link below, you can find out which country and which bank's card the relevant IIN number belongs to:

https://binlist.net/