Structured or hybrid postal addresses become mandatory on 15 November 2026

The base ISO 20022 PostalAddress element allows both an unstructured line format and a structured set of tagged elements — street name, building number, town name, country and more. During the migration, both were accepted so institutions could move at their own pace. That flexibility is what ends here.

The CBPR+ usage guidelines set 15 November 2026 as the date from which the unstructured-only format may no longer be used. Until then the hybrid form — structured elements alongside a small amount of free text — remains available, and it stays permitted afterwards as one of the two valid options. The reason for the change is that structured party data is far easier to screen and reconcile than a free-text block, which reduces false positives and manual repair. The practical work for institutions is data cleansing: addresses still held as free text in core systems must be parsed into structured elements ahead of the deadline, or payments risk rejection once enforcement begins.