AdrLine
<AdrLine> (AddressLine) is the free-format text element inside the ISO 20022 <PstlAdr> block, carrying up to 70 characters per occurrence. Its cardinality defines the address format: up to 7 occurrences in the legacy unstructured format, capped at [0..2] in hybrid (CPMI harmonisation requirements — technical annex §0.31), and prohibited entirely in fully structured addresses.
How AdrLine works in practice
In hybrid format the two permitted lines give 140 characters for residual content — and the No-Duplication Rule applies: anything carried in a structured element must not be repeated in <AdrLine>. The unstructured pattern (7 × 70 = 490 characters) is decommissioned for newly initiated payments on 15 November 2026.
Source: CPMI harmonisation requirements — technical annex §0.31 / p5 and §3 footnote / p6-3; the ioNova Postal Address Specification v2.0 §3.4.1–§3.4.3, §17.1.
Hybrid usage — one residual line beside the mandatory pair:
<PstlAdr> <PstCd>6011</PstCd> <TwnNm>WELLINGTON</TwnNm> <Ctry>NZ</Ctry> <AdrLine>169 CUBA STREET</AdrLine> </PstlAdr>
Parent reference: ISO 20022 deadline — the structured address mandate.
Sources
Standards & regulatory sources
- Harmonised ISO 20022 data requirements for enhancing cross-border payments — technical annex — BIS Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI), 26 February 2026.
ioNova reference material
- ioNova ISO 20022 Postal Address — Requirements and Specifications v2.0, May 2026 — ioNova reference work consolidating the sources above. Request the specification in a demo.
See ioNova ARS in action
The complete ISO 20022 Postal Address — Requirements and Specifications Update 2026 consolidates the CPMI harmonisation requirements, the BIS PIE taskforce report, the PMPG Hybrid Postal Address whitepaper and the EPC address guidance into a single reference.
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