pain.001 Customer Credit Transfer Initiation

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pain.001

Customer Credit Transfer Initiation

As a corporate customer you use the pain.001 Customer Credit Transfer Initiation in the ISO 20022 standard to initiate payments. This format enables you to send payment instructions to your bank in a precise, efficient and structured manner, including all the necessary details.

SEPA

General

Format

Structured address fields

Transition timetable

Further information

Cross-Border Payments

General

Format

Structured address fields

For cross-border payments using message type pain.001, the requirements for address data have changed. In order to ensure that your payments are processed smoothly and quickly, addresses must be submitted in a structured format from now on.

What does "structured" mean? Each part of the address (name, street, house number, postcode, town, country, etc.) is entered in its own designated data field.

You can choose between two options:

Fully structured addresses (recommended) You provide all address details in the separate fields. This guarantees the best and most efficient processing quality.
Semi-structured (hybrid) addresses This format is a combination: the town and country must be specified in a structured manner. Additional information, such as the street name and house number, can be entered in two unstructured address lines (<AdrLine>).

Further information on how to complete the address fields correctly can be found in the industry guidance from the Swift Payments Market Practice Group: Industry guidance on the introduction of the hybrid postal address.

Timetable for the transition

Date	Milestone
Since 22 Nov. 2025	The new hybrid address format is also available
14 Nov. 2026	The transition period ends. Completely unstructured addresses will be rejected

The image contains a comparison between two approaches to address data management: **Fully Structured Address Data** and **Hybrid Address Assignment**.

### Fully Structured Address Data
This approach organizes address data in a systematic format, breaking down information into distinct fields with corresponding labels:
- **Postal Address:**
- Street Name
- Building Name
- Floor or Apt No.
- Room No.
- Postal Code
- **Identifiers:**
- Premise Name
- Country

### Hybrid Address Assignment
This approach integrates structured and free-form address input. It consists of:
- **Structure:**
- Name Section
- Simple Labels
- **Free Form Information:**
- Flexibility in data input
- Allows incorporation of unstructured details

**Highlight Examples:**
- **Structured Information:** Simple labels for organized input.
- **Free-form Identifier:** Example: "John Doe, 123 Main Street, 3rd Floor, Apt Q"

### Conclusion
The image visually contrasts the detailed organization in fully structured address data with the flexible arrangement of hybrid systems, showcasing their respective advantages for different situations in managing addresses.

Your next steps – what you need to do now:

Delivery of correct address data is essential for the successful processing of your cross-border orders.

Check systems: Check whether your accounting and ERP systems are capable of collecting and transmitting structured address data.
Enrich data: Ensure that at least the town and country are available as separate data fields for all parties involved in payments. If necessary, request this information from your partners now.
Plan the transition: Please plan the technical transition of your payment orders to one of the two new address formats by 11 November 2026 at the latest.

We recommend submitting fully structured addresses to ensure the highest quality of processing.

Implementation timetable