How many digits does a CLABE have, and what do they mean?

A CLABE has 18 digits: 3 for the bank, 3 for the branch or plaza, 11 for the account number, and 1 check digit that Banco de México's algorithm uses to confirm the other 17 are internally consistent.

Is a CLABE the same as my debit card number?

No. A debit card number has 16 digits and is tied to the physical card, which can expire or get replaced. The CLABE has 18 digits, is tied to the underlying account, and stays the same even if you get a new card.

Do I need a CLABE to receive a SPEI transfer?

Yes, in almost every case. Whoever is sending you a SPEI transfer needs your CLABE (or, at some banks, a registered mobile-phone number that maps to it) to route the payment to your account.

Can a CLABE receive an international wire from the US?

Only alongside the receiving bank's SWIFT code, and only if the account is set up to accept international transfers — a CLABE by itself is not enough. That route also moves at wire speed (often one to several business days) and can carry fees on both ends, unlike SPEI, which is instant but domestic-only. For sending dollars from the US, a cross-border remittance service or a US dollar wallet such as Moni is typically faster and simpler than an international wire.

What happens if I enter someone's CLABE incorrectly?

The check digit catches many typos before a transfer goes through, but not all of them. If a wrong-but-valid CLABE is accepted, the money can land in someone else's account, and SPEI transfers are not easily reversed — always confirm the CLABE before sending.

What is CLABE? Mexico's 18-digit bank account number

CLABE (Clave Bancaria Estandarizada) is the 18-digit number that identifies one specific account at one specific bank in Mexico. Every account at a regulated Mexican bank has one, and it is what the banking system uses to route SPEI transfers, direct debit payments, and payroll deposits to the right place.

How the 18 digits break down

A CLABE is not a random string — each segment means something. The first 3 digits identify the bank. The next 3 identify the branch or plaza where the account was opened. The following 11 digits are the account number the bank assigned to that customer. The final digit is a check digit, calculated by an algorithm defined by Banco de México, that confirms the other 17 digits are internally consistent.

That check digit is what lets a receiving bank catch many typos before a transfer is even processed — a single mistyped digit usually produces a CLABE that fails validation outright, rather than one that silently routes to the wrong account. It is not a perfect safeguard, though: a valid-looking CLABE for the wrong account will still go through.

What CLABE is used for

Banco de México introduced CLABE in 2004 to give every Mexican bank account a single, standardized identifier, replacing the bank-specific account formats that came before it. That standardization is what makes it possible for any bank to send money to any other bank using one consistent 18-digit format, instead of needing to know each institution’s own numbering scheme.

The most common use is SPEI, Mexico’s real-time interbank transfer system: to send someone money, you generally need their CLABE. CLABE is also the identifier behind domiciliación (automatic direct debit for recurring bills) and payroll deposits, so the same 18 digits that receive a SPEI transfer also receive a paycheck or an automatic utility payment.

Where to find your CLABE

Every account has exactly one CLABE, and it does not change if you get a new debit card — a card can expire or be replaced, but the underlying CLABE stays tied to the account. Mexican banks display it in the banking app, on account statements, and often on the back of the debit card itself. If you close an account and open a new one, even at the same bank, it gets its own new CLABE.

What CLABE can’t do

A CLABE identifies one account at one Mexican bank — it says nothing about what currency that account holds. Some Mexican banks do offer US dollar-denominated accounts, and those accounts carry a CLABE too, so CLABE itself is not peso-only. What a CLABE alone can’t do is move money the way SPEI does: SPEI only moves pesos between Mexican bank accounts, so a CLABE doesn’t unlock a fast, free way to receive dollars from abroad.

Receiving an actual international wire into a Mexican bank account is possible, but it runs through SWIFT, not SPEI: the sender needs the receiving bank’s CLABE together with its SWIFT code, the transfer typically takes one to several business days, and it can carry fees on both the sending and receiving side. That’s a slower, costlier problem than the one SPEI solves day to day, which is also why sending money from the US to family in Mexico usually goes through a dedicated remittance service or a US dollar wallet the recipient controls directly, rather than a traditional international wire. Moni is a mobile-first US dollar wallet for Latin America built around that gap: balances stay in dollars until the moment they’re withdrawn, and the recipient decides when and how to convert to pesos, rather than waiting on a multi-day wire.