Preparing for ISO 20022 Structured Address Requirements 

ISO 20022 Structured Address requirements: What Nomentia customers need to know 

Starting in November 2026, all payment messages must include structured postal addresses, free-text (unstructured) addresses will no longer be accepted. This change, mandated by SWIFT and major payment schemes, affects both international and many domestic payments (including SEPA and CHAPS). If your payment files or systems still use unstructured address fields, now is the time to act. 

What’s changing? 

• Addresses must be split into separate fields: At a minimum, every payment must include the town/city and country as distinct data elements. Other fields (street name, building number, postal code) should be included where available. 
• Two formats are allowed:  
  • Fully structured: All address parts in dedicated fields (no free-text lines). 
  • Hybrid: Town/city and country in structured fields, with up to two free-text lines for extra details. 
• Unstructured addresses will be rejected after the deadline. 

Why is this happening? 

Structured addresses improve payment data quality, compliance, and automation. They help banks process payments faster, reduce errors, and ensure regulatory checks (like anti-money laundering) are more effective. 

Simple steps to prepare 

1. Check your systems and data 
   • Review all systems that generate payment files (ERP, treasury, salary, travel, legacy formats, csv-payments etc.). 
   • Ensure that for every payee, the address includes at least the city and country in your records. 
   • Confirm that these details are mapped to the correct structured fields in your payment files (not just in a single address line). 
2. Audit and clean address data 
   • Identify addresses stored as free text or missing city/country. 
   • Plan a data clean-up: split addresses into components and fill in missing fields. 
   • Use automated tools or consult your bank for support if needed. 
3. Update internal processes 
   • Modify payment templates and forms to capture structured address fields. 
   • Train staff to collect full address details from new vendors or partners. 
4. Test early
   • Send test payments with structured addresses to your bank before the deadline. 
   • Use bank-provided validation tools or sandboxes to ensure compliance.  
     • * Please inform Nomentia once you have a clearer timeline and approach for testing the material using address information that differs from the current data.
5. Check with your bank
   • Banks may have their own timelines or additional requirements—always confirm with your banking partners. 

Deadline: November 2026. Payments with unstructured addresses may be rejected after this date. Early preparation will help avoid disruptions. 

Need help? 

Nomentia can assist, as a paid consulting service, in verifying the correctness of your payment file structure. However, please note that we do not add missing city or country information to your records. Get in touch