Last reviewed: · Curated by Ohmyfin Organisation editorial.
A UETR (Unique End-to-end Transaction Reference) is a 36-character identifier attached to every SWIFT payment to allow the sender, beneficiary and every intermediary bank to track it in real time across the SWIFT correspondent banking network.
Details
The UETR is generated by the originating bank when the payment is created and travels with the payment through every correspondent bank in the chain. It is mandatory on every SWIFT MT message since November 2018.
The format is 36 characters in 5 hexadecimal groups: 8-4-4-4-12, separated by dashes. Example: 12345678-1234-4abc-9def-1234567890ab. The third group always begins with the digit "4" (UUID v4 format).
On an MT103 SWIFT message the UETR appears in field 121 inside block 3. On ISO 20022 pacs.008 messages it appears in the <UETR> element inside the payment identification block.
You can use the UETR to look up the latest available status of the payment — Ohmyfin lets you do this free, with no account required.
Key facts
36 characters, format 8-4-4-4-12 hexadecimal
Mandatory on every SWIFT payment since 2018
Found on MT103 field 121 / pacs.008 <UETR> element
Used by SWIFT GPI to track payments end to end
Frequently asked questions
How do I find my UETR?
Ask your sending bank for the SWIFT confirmation, or look at field 121 of the MT103 message you received. Some online banking platforms also show the UETR on the payment receipt.
Can I track a payment without a UETR?
Yes — Ohmyfin can also look up payments by bank reference (MT103 field 20), but a UETR gives the most accurate live status.
Is a UETR confidential?
A UETR contains no personal data. It is safe to share with the beneficiary so they can track the incoming payment.
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