The European Payments Council's Payment Scheme Management Board decided at its meeting on 9 September 2026 to delay the planned November 2026 end date of the unstructured address format under all five EPC payment scheme rulebooks. As a result, the EPC will maintain support for unstructured addresses beyond the previously announced 15 November 2026 deadline.
EPC Director General Giorgio Andreoli said the board took a conscious decision to delay the 15 November 2026 migration date after reviewing datapoints from PSP participants, CSMs and technical players. The EPC continues to recommend that payment service providers and payment service users move directly from unstructured to fully structured addresses wherever possible. The board strongly encourages all EPC payment scheme participants to continue their migration efforts. The EPC will continue to monitor the uptake of the structured and hybrid address formats in SEPA transactions on a regular basis.
The EPC will update the 2025 payment scheme rulebooks, implementation guidelines and supporting guidance materials to reflect the decision. The revised documentation is expected to be published by October 2026 at the latest. The board will reconvene in October 2026 to set a new end date based on the latest market and payment industry developments.