UK Sort Code Regex for Java

What this pattern does

This page provides a well-structured, multi-part regular expression for matching uk sort code, ported and verified for Java. Financial data validation has zero tolerance for false negatives — a missed invalid entry can corrupt downstream calculations. The snippet below is ready to drop into your Java project — whether you're validating in a Spring Boot controller, a Jakarta EE service, or a standalone utility class.

Java Implementation

// UK Sort Code
// ReDoS-checked | RegexVault — Finance > Bank Identifiers

import java.util.regex.Pattern;

public class UkSortCodeValidator {
    private static final Pattern PATTERN =
        Pattern.compile("^(?:[0-9]{6}|[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2})$");

    public static boolean validate(String input) {
        return PATTERN.matcher(input).matches();
    }

    // Example
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println(validate("60-16-13")); // true
    }
}

Test Cases

When to use this pattern

This pattern is drawn from the Finance > Bank Identifiers category and has been checked for ReDoS risk. That matters for Java developers because critical in Java applications since the JVM regex engine uses backtracking and is susceptible to ReDoS without careful pattern design. RegexVault audits patterns against known backtracking attack vectors, ensuring you have the necessary context before using this regex in a high-stakes production environment.

Common Pitfalls

Technical Notes

Sort codes identify the bank and branch. The first two digits identify the bank (20=Barclays, 30=Lloyds, 40=HSBC, 60=NatWest). Normalize to 6 digits (strip hyphens) before storage.