Structured address
A fully structured address carries every postal-address component in its dedicated ISO 20022 XML element — <StrtNm>, <BldgNb>, <PstCd>, <TwnNm>, <Ctry> and the other elements of the <PstlAdr> block — with no free-format <AdrLine> permitted. It is the preferred format under the CPMI harmonised data model and has no end date.
How Structured address works in practice
Fully structured is the format regulators and schemes designate as the target state: it maximises STP and screening precision because every component is machine-addressable. <TwnNm> and <Ctry> remain mandatory, and the EPC recommends migrating straight from unstructured to fully structured rather than stopping at hybrid.
Source: the ioNova Postal Address Specification v2.0 §3.3 Table 5 / §7.1 Table 12; EPC 153-22 v2.1; the ioNova Postal Address Specification v2.0 §9 (EPC recommendation).
A fully structured address (the campaign's worked example):
<PstlAdr> <StrtNm>CUBA STREET</StrtNm> <BldgNb>169</BldgNb> <PstCd>6011</PstCd> <TwnNm>WELLINGTON</TwnNm> <Ctry>NZ</Ctry> </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.
- EPC guidance document — Provision of Addresses under the EPC Payment Schemes, v2.1 — European Payments Council, October 2025.
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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