SWIFT MT103 Field 70 — Remittance Information
Field 70 is the Remittance Information on an MT103 — the payment narrative visible on the beneficiary's bank statement. Draft an MT103 with structured remittance info →
Details
Format: up to 4 lines of 35 characters each, using the SWIFT X character set (letters, digits, and the special characters / - ? : ( ) . , ' + space and line break). Characters outside this set — umlauts, accented characters, emoji, currency symbols other than those in the character set — must be transliterated to ASCII equivalents before inclusion in field 70, or the message will be rejected or the content garbled at a downstream bank that enforces strict character-set validation.
Best practice is to use structured tags at the start of each line to allow the beneficiary's accounts-receivable system to automatically parse and reconcile the payment: /INV/ followed by the invoice number (e.g. /INV/INV-2024-0001); /RFB/ followed by a beneficiary-assigned reference number (reference forwarded from the beneficiary back to the sender); /ROC/ for a remittance origin code (a structured identifier defined bilaterally between trading partners); /PO/ for a purchase order number. These tags are aligned with ISO 20022 remittance data structures and are recognised by most major ERP systems.
The 140-character total limit (4 × 35) is a well-known constraint of MT103 field 70. Many business payments have complex remittance requirements that cannot be captured in 140 characters — multiple invoice references, credit note offsets, partial payment allocations. One workaround is to include a URL or document reference in field 70 pointing to a structured remittance data file (e.g. a PAIN.001 or EDI-820 remittance advice), though not all banks support URL pass-through reliably. The proper solution is migration to ISO 20022 pacs.008, which has an effectively unlimited structured remittance capability.
Compliance consideration: correspondent banks run their payment-screening algorithms over field 70 content as well as over party names. An innocent payment with field 70 content containing "crude oil - invoice 1234" may trigger a manual hold at a US correspondent bank because "crude oil" pattern-matches against commodities-related sanctions compliance filters. Similarly, references to sanctioned country names in field 70 (even in a legitimate commercial context) can trigger holds. Use neutral invoice reference codes rather than descriptive trade terms in field 70 to minimise false-positive compliance screening.
In ISO 20022 pacs.008, the equivalent of field 70 is the RmtInf (Remittance Information) element with two sub-elements: Ustrd (Unstructured, up to 140 characters of free text — equivalent to field 70 in capacity) and Strd (Structured, with no practical character limit — allows multiple CdtrRefInf elements each carrying a creditor reference type, reference number, and debtor reference, plus a URL to an invoice document via RfrdDocInf). This structured remittance capability enables fully automated, validated invoice reconciliation at the beneficiary's ERP, eliminating the need for manual matching of incoming payments.
Quick facts
| Example value | :70:/INV/2025-12345 |
|---|---|
| Valid characters / format | 4 lines x 35 chars unstructured |
| Required on MT103 | Optional |
| Required on MT202 | Not used |
| Required on pacs.008 | Optional |
| Notes | Remittance information. ISO 20022 supports 9,000 chars structured. |
Key facts
- Optional MT103 field — up to 4 lines × 35 characters (140 chars total)
- Use structured tags: /INV/ invoice, /RFB/ customer ref, /ROC/, /PO/ for auto-reconciliation
- SWIFT X character set only — no umlauts, accented characters, or special symbols
- Screened by correspondents — avoid sanctioned country names or controlled-goods terms
- pacs.008 RmtInf/Strd is the unlimited structured successor with no character-set limits
- ISO 11649 Structured Creditor Reference format adds check-digit validation in SEPA
Frequently asked questions
How much text can I include in field 70?
4 lines × 35 characters = 140 characters maximum. ISO 20022 pacs.008 RmtInf/Ustrd has the same 140-character limit for unstructured text, but the structured RmtInf/Strd option has no practical character limit.
Can I include an email or URL in field 70?
Technically yes if it fits within 35 characters per line, but many banks strip or warn on URL-like content in field 70 due to anti-phishing and compliance policies. A structured invoice reference code (/INV/12345) is far more reliable than a URL for automated reconciliation.
Why did the beneficiary not see my remittance information?
Some correspondent banks truncate or strip field 70 when reformatting the SWIFT message, particularly if it contains characters outside the SWIFT X set. Additionally, translation between MT and ISO 20022 may alter field 70 content. In ISO 20022 environments, remittance information in the structured RmtInf/Strd format is preserved much more reliably.
What is the difference between field 70 and field 72?
Field 70 (Remittance Information) is the customer-facing payment narrative — it appears on the beneficiary's bank statement and is intended for the beneficiary. Field 72 (Sender to Receiver Information) contains bank-to-bank operational instructions — not shown to customers, visible only to the processing banks.
What structured remittance tags should I use?
The most common structured tags are: /INV/ = invoice number (e.g. /INV/INV-2024-0001); /RFB/ = reference forwarded from the beneficiary (their payment reference); /ROC/ = remittance origin code; /PO/ = purchase order number. These are aligned with ISO 20022 remittance data structures. Each tag starts on a new line and the content follows immediately after the closing slash.
Related guides
Related — more from swift field reference and beyond
Get 100 free credits — track unlimited SWIFT payments
No card needed. Free for ordinary users — 10 free trackings per day per IP, no signup required. Track any international wire across 11,000+ banks.
Track a payment now — completely free Or try the tracker now →