The numbering ranges for both are complementary, but do not overlap.
It identifies both the bank and the branch where the account is held. The SORT Codes database can be integrated in any software system or used as a standalone reference file for verifying banking transactions.
It consists of a four character header comprising an ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code, followed by two check digits that are calculated using a mod-97 technique and a country-specific Basic Bank Account Number (BBAN) of up to thirty alphanumeric characters.