WPS Routing Code UAE: How to Find the Right One (2026)

WPS Routing Code UAE: Bank Codes, IBAN Check and SIF Errors

TL;DR:

• A WPS routing code is the 9-digit number, assigned by the Central Bank of the UAE, that tells the Wages Protection System which bank, exchange house or payment provider should receive a salary.
• It appears twice in every SIF file: in each EDR line (the employee's agent) and in the SCR line (the employer's bank). A wrong code can get the entire file rejected.
• Big banks have dozens of branch-level codes, and some institutions use a different code for WPS than for ordinary transfers. One code per bank is a myth.
• The safest source is the employee's bank itself. Digits 2 to 4 of the routing code match the 3-digit bank code inside the IBAN, which gives you a quick cross-check.

Search for a WPS routing code and you will find long tables of nine-digit numbers, often copied from one site to the next. Some are right. Some carry bank names that disappeared in mergers years ago. And a few banks appear with three different "main" codes depending on which list you trust.

This guide explains what the WPS routing code actually is, where it goes in a SIF file, which codes institutions publish themselves, and how to check a code before it costs you a rejected payroll.

What Is a WPS Routing Code?

A WPS routing code is a 9-digit number assigned by the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) that identifies the agent, bank and branch where a salary should be credited. The Ministry of Labour and CBUAE guide for employers (document WPS-CRG01) defines it as "a 9 digit number which uniquely identifies the AGENT-BANK-BRANCH where the employees account is held."

The "agent" is whoever pays the employee: a bank, an exchange house, or another approved provider. The same guide notes that agents can be banks, exchange houses and third-party service providers, and the CBUAE's rulebook (Article 19 of the Retail Payment Services and Card Schemes Regulation) allows payment service providers to apply for access to the Wages Protection System.

EDR routing code vs SCR routing code

Every SIF file uses routing codes in two places, and mixing them up is one of the most common mistakes:

If all your staff bank with the same bank as you, both codes may look alike. The moment one employee moves to a digital bank or an exchange house card, the EDR code for that person changes and the SCR code does not. Our guide to the SIF file format covers the other nine fields on each line.

How the 9 Digits Are Built

Digits 2, 3 and 4 of a UAE routing code are the bank's 3-digit code, the same code that sits inside every UAE IBAN. Mashreq's IBAN guidance lists a "valid bank code, 2nd, 3rd & 4th digit of the bank 9 digit routing number" as a check, and states that "in the case of UAE, the Bank Identifier is the 3 digits following the Check Digits" in a 23-character IBAN.

That gives you a free cross-check. Take this illustrative IBAN, AE07 024 0000012345678901. The bank code is 024. Dubai Islamic Bank publishes its WPS agent ID as 802420101, and digits 2 to 4 are 024. They match.

No published source explains what the first digit and the last five digits mean, so we will not guess. They vary by branch, which brings us to the bigger problem.

One Bank, Many Codes: Head Office vs Branch

Most large UAE banks do not have one WPS routing code; they have one per branch. Wio publishes the routing code list its WPS product uses, and in it First Abu Dhabi Bank, Emirates NBD, Mashreq and ADCB each run to dozens of rows, while Wio itself has exactly one.

So which one goes in the SIF? Habib Bank's WPS FAQ, written for employers, gives the original rule. Where the account number alone is enough for the bank to credit the employee, "the employer can limit themselves to use only the head office routing code." For banks whose account numbers ran longer than 16 digits, "it is required that the employer use the specific routing code of the branch where the employee holds the account."

Today most employees are paid to a 23-character IBAN, which already identifies the bank and account, so many agents accept the head-office code. But that is the agent's call, not yours. The same FAQ says that if asked, "the AGENT is obligated to provide the correct information to the employer and/or employees." Use it.

WPS Routing Code vs Normal Transfer Code

Some institutions publish a WPS routing code that is different from the code used for ordinary bank transfers, so a code that works for a supplier payment may fail in a SIF file. Two published examples:

• Wio Bank tells employees to share "808610001 for WPS or WIOBAEADXXX for FTS", meaning one code for WPS salaries and its SWIFT code for standard UAE funds transfers.
• HSBC UAE's AutoPay list (March 2022) shows HSBC Bank Middle East with code 302020120 "for WPS Payments" and 302020175 "for non-WPS Payments".

If your employee copied a code from a transfer form or a beneficiary screen, ask whether it is the WPS one.

Routing Codes Published by the Institutions Themselves

The table below lists only codes that each institution publishes on its own website or documents, checked on 14 October 2026. We have deliberately left out codes that appear only on third-party lists.

FAB, Emirates NBD, ADCB, Mashreq and RAKBANK WPS routing codes

We could not find a WPS routing code published by First Abu Dhabi Bank, Emirates NBD, ADCB, Mashreq or RAKBANK on their own websites on 14 October 2026, so we are not printing one. Third-party lists do carry codes for them, but they do not always agree. RAKBANK appears with three different codes across three lists, and older lists still show National Bank of Abu Dhabi and First Gulf Bank, which FAB says merged to create First Abu Dhabi Bank in April 2017.

The one partial exception is Emirates NBD: its sister bank Emirates Islamic lists "Emirates Bank & National Bank of Dubai (Emirates NBD) 302620122" in a SIF user guide, but that guide is undated and uses pre-merger names, so confirm with Emirates NBD before relying on it.

For any of these banks, the fastest correct answer is the employee's salary certificate, the bank's corporate or payroll desk, or your WPS agent's routing code list.

What Happens When the Routing Code Is Wrong

A wrong WPS routing code usually rejects the whole SIF file, not just the employee with the error. Mashreq's published WPS file format says: "If the routing code is invalid then the entire WPS file will be rejected."

The original Ministry of Labour and CBUAE guide has two specific error codes:

• 00810, "Invalid Agent Id": the EDR routing code does not match a valid agent.
• 00811, "Invalid Bank Id": the bank code is not valid.

Commercial Bank of Dubai's list of common WPS rejection reasons also includes "Agent Bank Routing Code should be 9 digits", with the fix: correct the field "with 9 digit routing code of beneficiary bank". Count the digits before you submit.

Under Ministerial Resolution No. 340 of 2026, salaries are due on the 1st of the month. Morgan Lewis's summary of the resolution notes that from the second day after the due date MoHRE "may issue notifications and warnings." A rejection that takes two days to fix can push a compliant payroll into the warning window.

How to Find Your WPS Routing Code

Employers and employees find the routing code in different places, but the bank is always the final word.

If you are an employee:

1. Check your bank's salary or WPS page. DIB, Emirates Islamic, Wio and Ruya all publish one.
2. If you are paid to a salary card, check the card provider's FAQ. Edenred publishes the C3Pay code there.
3. If you cannot find it, ask your bank for the WPS routing code for your account, and say "WPS" explicitly.
4. Send your employer the code together with your full 23-character IBAN.

If you are an employer or payroll lead:

1. Use your own bank's code in the SCR line. It appears in your bank's WPS guide or portal.
2. Collect each employee's IBAN, then check digits 2 to 4 of their routing code against the IBAN's bank code.
3. Ask your WPS agent for its current routing code list and keep it with your SIF template.
4. Store routing codes, IBANs and IDs as text columns in Excel, so nothing gets reformatted or rounded.

Payroll software can carry this step for you. Peko's Payroll & HR module checks employee details and totals before generating the SIF file, though accurate bank details from employees still matter.

Which Businesses This Applies To

Routing code errors hit hardest where staff are spread across many banks and cards:

• Construction, facilities and cleaning contractors, where many workers are paid to salary cards from exchange houses or payment providers rather than bank accounts.
• Retail and hospitality groups with high staff turnover, where new joiners bring new banks every month.
• Startups whose teams favour digital banks like Wio or Ruya, whose codes many older templates do not include.
• Payroll outsourcers and accountants running SIF files for several clients and several employer banks.
• Employees changing banks, who need to give HR the new code before the next payroll, not after a rejection.

FAQ About WPS routing codes in the UAE

What is a WPS routing code in the UAE?

A WPS routing code is the 9-digit number assigned by the Central Bank of the UAE that identifies the bank, exchange house or payment provider, and often the branch, that receives an employee's salary through the Wages Protection System. It goes in field 3 of the EDR and SCR lines of a SIF file.

Is the WPS routing code the same as the bank routing number?

Not always. Wio Bank uses 808610001 for WPS and its SWIFT code for standard transfers, and HSBC UAE lists separate WPS and non-WPS codes. Ask your bank specifically for the WPS routing code.

What is the FAB WPS routing code?

We could not find a WPS routing code published by First Abu Dhabi Bank itself as of 14 October 2026, and third-party lists carry codes from before the FAB merger. Ask FAB or your WPS agent for the current code, and check that digits 2 to 4 match the bank code in the employee's IBAN.

What is the Dubai Islamic Bank WPS routing code?

Dubai Islamic Bank publishes its WPS agent ID as 802420101 on its Wages Protection page, describing it as "a 9 digit code that should be used in the WPS file format."

How do I check if a WPS routing code is correct?

Compare digits 2 to 4 of the routing code with the 3-digit bank code in the employee's IBAN (the three digits after "AE" and the two check digits). If they do not match, the code belongs to a different bank. Then confirm the exact code with the bank or your WPS agent.

What happens if I use the wrong routing code in a SIF file?

A wrong routing code can get the entire SIF file rejected, delaying every employee's salary, not just one. Mashreq's WPS file format states that an invalid routing code rejects the whole file, and the original WPS error list includes 00810 "Invalid Agent Id".

Final Thoughts

The WPS routing code is a small field with outsized consequences. Most problems trace back to one assumption: that a bank has one code and any list on the internet will do. It does not, and they will not.

Build the habit instead: get codes from the bank, cross-check them against the IBAN, store them as text, and refresh your list when staff change banks. If you would rather have software validate employee details before the file goes out, take a look at Peko's Payroll & HR, and read our WPS salary transfer guide for how the routing code fits into the full payment flow.

Last verified: 29 October 2026. Written by Adil Rashid Lone, SEO Manager at Peko. Routing codes change; always confirm with the bank before you submit a salary file.