Although there is a strong correlation between BIC Codes and sort codes, sort codes are not explicitly encoded into BIC codes.
The sort code, which is a six-digit number, is usually formatted as three pairs of numbers, for example, 12-34-56. If money is being transferred across international borders, an international network is used. It identifies both the bank and the branch where the account is held. Subbranches have the same sorting code as the main bank office, but to uniquely identify them they have a two-digit suffix after the sorting code.