PstlAdr element
<PstlAdr> (PostalAddress) is the ISO 20022 XML container that carries a party’s postal address inside payment messages such as pacs.008 and pain.001. CPMI harmonisation requirements — technical annex catalogues 17 child elements, of which 14 form the operational model — from <Dept> and <StrtNm> to the mandatory <TwnNm> and <Ctry> — plus the free-format <AdrLine>.
How PstlAdr element works in practice
Three native elements (<AdrTp>, <CareOf>, <UnitNb>) sit outside the 14-element operational taxonomy: they are not required for the November 2026 milestone and are reserved for end-2027 CPMI alignment. <PstlAdr> is populated for Debtors, Creditors and Ultimate parties — for Agents it is declared "N — not desired", with identity carried by BICFI, clearing codes and LEI instead.
Source: CPMI harmonisation requirements — technical annex Table 1.1 / t1 | p5; Table 2.1 / p7; the ioNova Postal Address Specification v2.0 §3.1 / §3.5, Appendix I Q8–Q9.
The element skeleton with types and lengths:
<PstlAdr> <Dept>text{1,70}</Dept> <SubDept>text{1,70}</SubDept> <StrtNm>text{1,70}</StrtNm> <BldgNb>text{1,16}</BldgNb> <BldgNm>text{1,35}</BldgNm> <Flr>text{1,70}</Flr> <PstBx>text{1,16}</PstBx> <Room>text{1,70}</Room> <PstCd>text{1,16}</PstCd> <TwnNm>text{1,35}</TwnNm> <!-- MANDATORY --> <TwnLctnNm>text{1,35}</TwnLctnNm> <DstrctNm>text{1,35}</DstrctNm> <CtrySubDvsn>text{1,35}</CtrySubDvsn> <!-- ISO 3166-2 --> <Ctry>[A-Z]{2}</Ctry> <!-- MANDATORY --> <AdrLine>text{1,70}</AdrLine> <!-- 0 structured / [0..2] hybrid / [0..7] unstructured --> </PstlAdr>
Parent reference: ISO 20022 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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