QR invoices in Switzerland: Changes coming in November 2025

The QR invoice (French: QR-facture, Italian: QR-fattura, English: QR-bill) was officially introduced in Switzerland on June 30, 2020. Its aim is to

gradually replace the wide variety of old payment slips,

digitize payment transactions,

and offer companies and private customers an easier way to make electronic payments.

Who developed the QR invoice?

The QR invoice was developed by the Swiss Bankers Association (SwissBanking) in collaboration with the SIX Group. The reason for this was the need to modernize payment transactions and to combine the various payment slips into a uniform, digitally readable format. It is based on legal frameworks such as the Swiss Code of Obligations (invoicing) and the Payment Ordinance of the Swiss National Bank, which regulates IBAN and reference systems.

The centerpiece: the Swiss QR Code

Every QR invoice contains the Swiss QR Code, which includes all relevant payment information:

Payee and IBAN

Amount

Reference number (for unique payment allocation)

Address details of the invoice issuer and invoice recipient

The QR Code can be scanned directly using a mobile banking app or a scanner. This prevents typing errors, speeds up processing, and makes payments more secure.

What distinguishes the QR invoice from other e-invoice formats?

Unlike traditional e-invoice formats such as PDF invoices or structured XML formats such as ZUGFeRD, XRechnung, or Factur-X, which are primarily aimed at digital data transmission between software solutions, the QR invoice combines both worlds: it can be used both visually on paper and digitally. This means that customers can simply print out a QR invoice and submit it, or scan and pay it directly in digital form.

The layout of the QR invoice is standardized: it displays the invoice information in an easily readable format, supplemented by the QR code in a clearly defined area. This allows banks and payment service providers to process the data automatically. The code itself contains everything necessary to post the payment correctly, including a structured reference number that uniquely identifies payments.

This combination of standardization, automation, and user-friendliness makes the QR invoice a key component of digital payments in Switzerland and makes it much easier for businesses and private customers to process payments.

The QR invoice affects all companies in Switzerland that create or process invoices with QR codes – from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to law firms and associations to service providers and craft businesses.

Specifically, the following parties are affected:

Invoice issuers (creditors): The address data of every company that creates invoices with QR codes must be stored correctly.

Payees: Your data is used for automatic payment allocation.

Debtors: Your data must be complete to ensure smooth payment processing.

Software providers and service providers: Invoicing software, ERP systems, and accounting solutions must support QR invoices and generate them correctly.

Is the QR invoice relevant in international invoicing?

The following rules apply to invoicing from abroad to Switzerland and from Switzerland to abroad:

German or other foreign companies that send invoices to Switzerland

These invoices only need to contain the QR invoice if the recipient has a Swiss bank account and can use the QR code. Otherwise, a standard SEPA or international invoice format can be used.

Swiss companies sending invoices to Germany, Austria, or other countries within or outside the EU

In this case, the QR invoice is not mandatory. The respective country-specific payment formats apply (e.g., SEPA transfer, IBAN details, reference numbers according to ISO standards). The QR invoice is therefore only relevant for domestic payments in Switzerland.

In short: The QR invoice is mandatory for domestic transactions in Switzerland, but for international invoices, companies must comply with the local standards of the recipient country.

Until now, companies could choose between two formats for address data in QR invoices:

Structured addresses (type S): Each component—street, house number, postal code, city, country—was entered in its own field.

Unstructured addresses (type K): Free text, often in one or two address lines, similar to old payment slips.

However, this flexibility repeatedly caused difficulties: banks had to manually reprocess data, automated systems were unable to clearly recognize addresses, and the number of payment rejections increased noticeably. In order to ensure consistency, efficiency, and legal certainty, the Swiss financial sector has decided to abolish unstructured addresses (type K) as of November 21, 2025. The abolition of unstructured addresses ensures:

Consistency and legal certainty

Smooth automation

Fewer errors and rejections

Future-proofing in digital payment transactions

The changes to Swiss QR invoices coming into effect in November 2025 primarily affect companies that create, send, or process invoices. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular, but also for large corporations with complex financial processes, the changeover means that existing workflows and systems will have to be reviewed and adapted.

1. Adapt software

To ensure that invoices can continue to be created in a legally compliant manner, it is essential that the invoicing software used and all connected financial systems (e.g., ERP systems, accounts payable and accounts receivable, payroll accounting) process structured address data correctly.

Update the software: Companies must ensure that their providers have implemented the new Implementation Guidelines (version 2.3).

Check interfaces: Connections to third-party systems, such as ERP, CRM, or banking systems, must also be checked and adjusted if necessary.

Perform test runs: Before the new regulation comes into force, companies should perform internal tests to ensure that invoices with structured addresses are generated without errors.

2. Clean up master data

One of the biggest challenges is adapting existing master data. Many companies still have unstructured or incomplete addresses stored in their systems.

Check address data: All master data records – both for customers (debtors) and suppliers (creditors) – must be checked for completeness (street, house number, postal code, city, country) and accuracy.

Clean up and supplement: Missing information must be supplemented, and unclear or incomplete address lines must be cleaned up and standardized.

Establish quality assurance: Companies should introduce processes that prevent incorrect or incomplete addresses from entering the system again.

3. Automatic recognition and validation

To manage the changeover efficiently, it is advisable to use technical support:

Automatic checking: Many modern systems offer functions that can check addresses for structure and completeness. This allows sources of error to be identified at an early stage.

Error messages and workflows: Systems should issue warning messages for incorrect or incomplete addresses and trigger automatic workflows that initiate corrections.

Integration of validation services: External validation services that compare addresses with official postal databases can also ensure clean data sets.

4. Consistently avoid unstructured addresses

Even before the official deadline, companies should start entering new data records exclusively in a structured format.

Prevent free text entry: Input masks in the software should be adapted so that unstructured addresses can no longer be stored.

Employee training: Employees responsible for entering addresses must be informed and trained in good time so that they can comply with the new requirements.

Future-proofing: Companies that switch to structured addresses at an early stage will benefit from higher data quality and avoid rejections by banks after the transition period (September 2026).

Even though the changeover initially involves additional effort, it offers clear advantages:

Legal certainty: Invoices comply with the applicable standard.

Payment security: Rejections by banks due to incomplete addresses are avoided.

Efficiency: Automated systems can process address data without manual post-processing.

Future-proofing: All parties involved in Swiss payment transactions work with the same standards.

The changeover to structured addresses and the extended approval of special characters serves to promote uniformity in Swiss payment transactions. At the same time, it brings the QR invoice more into line with the international payment standard ISO 20022, which facilitates cross-border payments and the digital processing of invoices.

Many Swiss companies rely on Projektron BCS to plan their projects efficiently, make optimal use of resources, and create invoices in compliance with legal requirements. The following case studies show how Deleproject AG and Stämpfli AG map their entire invoicing processes, including the receipt, processing, and creation of QR invoices, in Projektron BCS right from the start. Both companies were able to increase both transparency and efficiency in project management with BCS. The two use cases are just a selection of our numerous Swiss references – companies from various industries – that have been working successfully with Projektron BCS for years.

To the detailed user report from Deleproject AG

To the detailed user report from Stämpfli AG

The QR invoice is the backbone of Swiss payment transactions. From November 21, 2025, version 2.3 of the Implementation Guidelines will introduce an important change: only structured addresses will be permitted. For companies, this means checking master data and adapting invoicing processes. Thanks to continuous development, Projektron BCS supports these requirements from version 25.3 onwards. This means that BCS customers are well prepared to continue working in a legally compliant, efficient, and digital manner in Swiss payment transactions in the future.