CLABE Validator
Check an eighteen-digit Mexican CLABE against the Banxico check digit, and see which institution it belongs to, before you send a peso transfer.
Calculated in your browser. The number is not transmitted anywhere.
The four parts of a CLABE
Eighteen digits that break cleanly into institution, plaza, account and check. Only the first three and the last one carry meaning you can verify from outside: the middle fourteen are the bank’s own numbering.
How the check digit is calculated
Each of the first seventeen digits is multiplied by 3, 7 or 1 in a repeating cycle. Crucially, each product is reduced modulo ten before being added, which is what separates the CLABE algorithm from the ABA routing check it otherwise resembles.
The digits are weighted in order, each product is taken modulo ten, the results are summed, and the check digit is whatever brings that sum to the next multiple of ten. Get one digit wrong and the sum lands elsewhere, so the number is rejected before any money moves.
What sending to Mexico costs
Mexico is the second-largest remittance corridor in the world, and the pricing on it is unusually spread. Some providers charge a couple of dollars and a thin rate margin; others take nothing upfront and several percent in the exchange rate, which costs far more on anything sizeable.
See what each provider charges on this route in our guide to sending money to Mexico, or price your amount with the Remitly and Western Union calculators. Paying by credit card is the one choice to avoid: it typically adds about 3% of the amount on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a CLABE?
The Clave Bancaria Estandarizada: an eighteen-digit number that identifies a Mexican bank account for electronic transfers. Banxico introduced it in 2004 so that SPEI transfers could be routed without ambiguity. It is not the number printed on a debit card, and it is not the shorter account number a branch may quote you.
Where does my recipient find their CLABE?
In their banking app or on a statement, usually under “CLABE interbancaria”. It is deliberately distinct from the card number and from the internal account number, because only the CLABE is guaranteed unique across every institution in Mexico.
What does the check digit actually protect against?
Single mistyped digits and most transpositions. The weights cycle 3, 7, 1, so moving two adjacent digits changes the total and the check fails. That is why an eighteen-digit number is safer to dictate over the phone than it looks: an error almost always shows up immediately rather than sending money to a stranger.
Is a CLABE the same as an account number for receiving from abroad?
For most remittance services, yes: providers sending USD to Mexico settle through SPEI and ask for the CLABE. For a traditional bank wire you may also need the receiving bank’s SWIFT code, since the wire lands at the bank first and is routed onward domestically.
Does the plaza code tell me the city?
It was designed to. In practice most banks now issue the same plaza code regardless of where the account was opened, because SPEI routes on the institution rather than the branch. Treat it as historical rather than a reliable location.
Can a CLABE be valid but still fail?
Yes. The checksum proves the digits are consistent; it says nothing about whether the account is open, whether it accepts transfers from abroad, or whether the name you give matches the holder. Mexican banks increasingly reject transfers where the beneficiary name and CLABE do not match.
Checksum and structure only. A valid CLABE can still belong to a closed account.