If you are sending money to someone in Mexico or receiving a cross-border payment there, you will almost certainly be asked for a CLABE number. It is the single most important piece of routing information for a peso transfer, and getting it right is what lets the funds reach the correct account. This guide explains what a CLABE is, what it looks like, where to find it, when you need it, and how you use it when you send money with Coinepay Global Remittance.
What a CLABE number is
CLABE stands for Clave Bancaria Estandarizada, or Standardized Banking Code. It is a unique identifier assigned to a bank account held at a Mexican financial institution. Banco de M\u00e9xico, the country's central bank, defines it so that interbank transfers, payroll payments and direct-debit instructions can be routed reliably between different banks.
A CLABE is not the same as your account number or your debit-card number. It is a standardized string that encodes which bank and which account should receive the money. You can have a short internal account number at your bank and a separate 18-digit CLABE that outsiders use to pay you.
What a CLABE looks like
A CLABE is always exactly 18 numeric digits, with no letters and no spaces. Those digits are structured in four parts:
- Bank code (3 digits) \u2013 identifies the financial institution.
- Plaza or location code (3 digits) \u2013 the branch or location.
- Account identifier (11 digits) \u2013 the bank's own reference for the account.
- Control digit (1 digit) \u2013 a check digit calculated from the rest.
An obviously fictional example of the format would be 012 345 67890123456 7 (written together as 012345678901234567). Do not use that number; it is only here to show the shape. The final control digit is calculated to verify the structure of the whole string, which helps catch typos. Importantly, a valid control digit alone does not prove that the account is open or that it belongs to the person you intend to pay \u2013 it only confirms the number is internally consistent.
Where to find your CLABE
If you are the recipient and someone needs to pay you, you can obtain your 18-digit CLABE from any of these sources:
- Your bank account statement.
- Your online banking portal or your bank's mobile app.
- By asking your bank directly.
Always copy it carefully, digit for digit. Because a CLABE is longer than a card number, a single transposed digit is easy to miss.
When a CLABE is needed \u2013 and when it is not
Within Mexico, peso transfers between accounts at different institutions run through SPEI (Sistema de Pagos Electr\u00f3nicos Interbancarios), Banco de M\u00e9xico's interbank system, which operates around the clock. When you send through SPEI, you identify the receiving account by its 18-digit CLABE. Supported alternatives in some apps include certain 16-digit card numbers and mobile numbers linked through Dimo, but the CLABE is the standard identifier.
For money arriving from abroad, a CLABE is often the beneficiary-account identifier. Banco de M\u00e9xico's Directo a M\u00e9xico remittance service, for example, lists the 18-digit CLABE as one way to specify the destination account. However, a CLABE should not be treated as a universal substitute for all of the other details an international transfer provider asks for \u2013 you may still need the recipient's full name, the bank name and, depending on the service, additional information.
Related transfer codes compared
CLABE is specific to Mexico. Here is how it relates to other identifiers you may encounter:
| Code | Used for | Format |
|---|---|---|
| CLABE | Routing a Mexican peso account via SPEI | 18 digits |
| Debit-card number | Card payments; some SPEI transfers accept it | 16 digits |
| IBAN | Account identification in many other countries | Up to 34 alphanumeric characters |
| SWIFT/BIC | Identifying a bank in international wires | 8 or 11 characters |
Mexican accounts do not use an IBAN; the CLABE fills the equivalent routing role for domestic SPEI payments.
Common mistakes and what happens if the CLABE is wrong
The most common problems come down to entering the wrong digits or trusting the wrong signal:
- Typos or transposed digits. An 18-digit string is easy to mistype. The control digit catches some errors, but not all.
- Relying on the recipient name. In SPEI, the name you type on the order is not the account identifier. A name that looks correct does not prove the CLABE routes to the right account. Always confirm the CLABE directly with its owner before sending.
- Confusing the CLABE with a card or account number. They are different; use the one your provider actually asks for.
If a transfer has already been settled and credited, it is generally irrevocable under SPEI rules. If you suspect you sent to the wrong CLABE, contact your sending bank or provider promptly with your transaction records. Banco de M\u00e9xico directs customers to the bank's customer-service or specialist complaints unit first, and to CONDUSEF (the financial-services consumer authority) if the matter is not resolved.
To track a payment, keep the transfer's tracking key or numerical reference. Banco de M\u00e9xico's MI SPEI service uses that key with transaction details to show whether a transfer is still in process, rejected, returned or settled. A Comprobante Electr\u00f3nico de Pago (CEP) documents a confirmed credit to the beneficiary account; a CEP may be unavailable because the receiving institution has not yet confirmed the credit or because your search details do not match.
A note on limits
A CLABE by itself does not set a transfer amount limit. Any restrictions depend on the account, the provider and the channel. Some account tiers carry their own monthly deposit caps \u2013 for instance, rules published in June 2026 introduced a monthly credit cap for a new account category \u2013 but that is an account-tier rule, not something attached to every CLABE. Separately, a user's Monto Transaccional del Usuario (MTU) is an authentication threshold: an electronic transaction above it simply requires an additional authentication factor rather than being prohibited.
Banco de M\u00e9xico's June 2026 Circular 9/2026 also introduced standardized mobile-transfer interface requirements, with institutions given until December 14, 2026 to comply. The guidance says apps should identify the receiving SPEI participant from the CLABE without asking the sender to enter the institution \u2013 but it does not make a displayed beneficiary name proof of account ownership. Until every app adopts it, keep confirming the CLABE with the recipient.
Using a CLABE to send money with Coinepay
Coinepay Global Remittance supports bank-account deposits as a payout method, so you can send to a Mexican account using its CLABE. The flow is:
- Register and complete identity verification (KYC) in the Coinepay app or dashboard. You can create an account or download the app for iOS or Android.
- Choose Mexico as the destination and bank-account deposit as the payout method.
- Enter the recipient's details, including the full 18-digit CLABE and their name exactly as held by the bank.
- Review the exchange rate and fees, which are shown clearly before you confirm. Then confirm and track the status in the app.
Coinepay also supports mobile-wallet and cash-pickup payouts in many markets. All transfers are subject to identity verification, sanctions screening and local regulations, and Coinepay may ask for supporting documents such as the purpose or source of funds. Coinepay sends to every country and region except those under comprehensive sanctions, and all parties are screened against sanctions lists. If you are unsure whether you have the right details, contact Coinepay support before you confirm.
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FAQ
How many digits is a CLABE number?
A CLABE is always exactly 18 numeric digits: a 3-digit bank code, a 3-digit location (plaza) code, an 11-digit account identifier and a single control digit. It contains no letters or spaces.
Is a CLABE the same as my debit card number?
No. A CLABE is an 18-digit identifier used to route interbank transfers through SPEI, while a debit-card number is typically 16 digits. Some SPEI transfers accept a card number, but the two are not interchangeable.
What happens if I send money to the wrong CLABE?
Once a transfer is settled and credited, it is generally irrevocable under SPEI rules. Contact your sending bank or provider promptly with your transaction records; in Mexico you can escalate to the bank's complaints unit and then CONDUSEF if it is not resolved.
Can I use a CLABE to receive money from abroad with Coinepay?
Yes. Coinepay supports bank-account deposit payouts, so a sender can direct funds to a Mexican account using its 18-digit CLABE after choosing Mexico and the bank-deposit payout method. Confirm the CLABE and recipient name before sending.
Does a valid CLABE guarantee the money reaches the right person?
No. The control digit only checks that the number is internally consistent; it does not confirm the account is open or belongs to your intended recipient. In SPEI the recipient name is not the account identifier, so always confirm the CLABE directly with its owner.
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