Structured ISO 20022 addresses: what to check beyond the columns
An address ready for ISO 20022 has its street, town and country in separate columns, but it also needs to be complete enough, unambiguous and placed in the right elements of the payment message.
Written by Struct20022 · updated September 23, 2026
What structured means
In a PstlAdr block, street, building number, postcode, town and country each have their own element. For the relevant flows, town and country are the required minimum.
A hybrid format can keep part of the detail in AdrLine when the required structured data is supplied separately.
Syntax is not enough
A field can be technically valid and still carry bad data: a three-letter country code, postcode mixed into the town or an incorrect building number.
Teams should therefore check both the payment message and the quality of the master data that feeds it.
Start pragmatically
Use a representative file, retain business identifiers and measure complete, hybrid and problematic rows.
You end up with a concrete cleanup plan and a clear order of priority.
Review checklist
- 1Town and country are present in the expected fields.
- 2Country uses a valid ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
- 3Postcode, town and street are not mixed together.
- 4The original row identifier is retained for correction.
- 5Critical exports are tested with the bank.
FAQ
Does every address need to be fully structured?
Fully structured is the clearest target. For the intended flows, hybrid can be an allowed transition.
Is XML schema validation enough?
No. It checks message structure, but does not automatically confirm that the address is correct or exists as a postal address.
Official sources
Related guides
See which rows need work
Struct20022 classifies every address and keeps the link to the original row for correction.