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Calendar of SEPA standards —
What changes from 2025 to 2030
Instant credit transfers, verification of payee (VoP), structured address, EPC 2028 rulebooks, ISO 20022: all the changes to SEPA standards in a single calendar, with what they mean for your credit transfer and direct debit files.
Key dates for SEPA standards
The deadlines of the European instant payments regulation and those of the EPC (European Payments Council), in chronological order.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 9 January 2025 | Euro-area banks must be able to receive instant credit transfers, at a price no higher than a standard transfer |
| 5 October 2025 | 2025 SEPA rulebooks take effect |
| 9 October 2025 | Euro area: sending instant credit transfers and verification of payee (VoP) become mandatory for banks |
| 9 January 2027 | Outside the euro area: banks must be able to receive instant credit transfers |
| February 2027 at the latest | EPC decision on the end date for unstructured addresses |
| 9 July 2027 | Outside the euro area: sending instant credit transfers and verification of payee (VoP) |
| Second quarter of 2027 | Publication of the 2028 rulebooks and implementation guidelines |
| End of the third quarter of 2028 at the earliest | Entry into effect of the 2028 rulebooks (exact date to be confirmed by the EPC) |
| November 2030 | Entry into effect of the following rulebooks, with migration to a more recent version of the ISO 20022 standard |
Already in force: instant payments and verification of payee
Regulation (EU) 2024/886 on instant credit transfers has applied to euro-area banks since 2025. Here is what it changes in practice for a company.
Instant credit transfer (SCT Inst)
An instant credit transfer arrives in under 10 seconds, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Euro-area banks must offer it for receiving since 9 January 2025 and for sending since 9 October 2025.
Verification of payee (VoP)
Before validating a transfer, the payer's bank compares the payee name with the holder of the account linked to the IBAN, and warns you of any difference. It applies to standard and instant transfers alike.
What should you do on your side?
Use the exact account holder name in your files, as it appears on the bank details. Business customers who send credit transfer files may, depending on their bank's terms, opt out of the verification for these batches.
Coming up: address, 2028 rulebooks and ISO 20022
These changes have been decided, or are still being decided, by the EPC. Nothing changes in your files today.
Structured address (SEPA 2026 standard)
The postal addresses of the parties will eventually have to be structured (street, postal code, city, country). The end date for unstructured addresses is still to be set by the EPC.
Learn more about the structured address (SEPA 2026 standard)
SEPA 2028 rulebooks
Names up to 140 characters, structured ISO 11649 reference, fraud code FR01 and credit transfer recall within 15 days. Takes effect at the end of the third quarter of 2028 at the earliest.
ISO 20022: a new version in 2030
The November 2030 rulebooks provide for migration to a more recent version of the ISO 20022 standard, which will be published 18 months beforehand.
What is the impact on your SEPA files?
In practice, here is what to remember for your credit transfer and direct debit files:
| ✓ Your current pain.001 and pain.008 files remain valid: none of these deadlines requires you to change them |
| ✓ The payee name must match the account holder, otherwise verification of payee may warn you |
| ✓ Instant credit transfer is an option offered by your bank: nothing needs to be enabled in your standard SEPA files |
| ✓ Check with your bank the exact format expected in your pain.001 / pain.008 XML files |
Frequently asked questions
What are the new SEPA standards?
Several changes follow one another: instant credit transfers and verification of payee (VoP), mandatory for euro-area banks since 2025, structured addresses in ISO 20022 messages, then the 2028 EPC rulebooks (names up to 140 characters, ISO 11649 reference, fraud code FR01) and a new ISO 20022 version in 2030.
What is verification of payee (VoP)?
Since 9 October 2025, the payer's bank compares the name entered with the holder of the account linked to the IBAN before validating a transfer. The result is a match, a close match, no match or verification not possible.
Are instant credit transfers mandatory for companies?
No. The obligation falls on banks: they must allow sending and receiving instant credit transfers, at a price no higher than a standard transfer. Companies remain free to use this option or not.
Do I need to change my pain.001 and pain.008 files?
Not because of these deadlines. Your current files remain valid. Just make sure the payee name matches the account holder, so that verification of payee succeeds.
What is the next SEPA deadline to watch?
The EPC is due to decide by February 2027 on the end date for unstructured addresses. The 2028 rulebooks will be published in the second quarter of 2027 and take effect at the end of the third quarter of 2028 at the earliest.
Official sources
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