Swiss QR Code (QR-Rechnung) – Complete Guide

Swiss QR Code — officially known as the QR-Rechnung (QR invoice) — is Switzerland's national standard for electronic payments. Developed by SIX Group as the direct successor to the orange ESR and red ES payment slips, it encodes all IBAN, amount, reference and address data into a scannable QR code with the mandatory Swiss Cross in the center. Since September 30, 2022, every Swiss bank is legally required to support it. It works exclusively with Swiss (CH) and Liechtenstein (LI) IBANs, and supports both CHF and EUR.

Switzerland used two paper-based payment slips for decades: the orange ESR (Einzahlungsschein mit Referenz) with a 27-digit reference for automated processing, and the red ES (Einzahlungsschein) for simple transfers. In 2018, SIX Group announced the QR-Rechnung as their official replacement. On June 30, 2020, both old formats were discontinued. After a transition phase, Swiss QR Code became legally mandatory for all Swiss banks on September 30, 2022.

Every Swiss QR Code must specify one of three reference types. QRR (QR-Referenz) is a 27-digit number with a Modulo-10 check digit — the same principle as the former ESR, ideal for mass invoice processing. SCOR (Creditor Reference) follows ISO 11649 with an RF prefix and two check digits, designed for international compatibility. NON means no reference is used, suitable for simple personal transfers where only an additional message (Mitteilung) is provided.

The Swiss QR Code payload is plain UTF-8 text with each field on its own line, strictly defined by the SIX Group specification. It begins with the header "SPC" (Swiss Payments Code), version "0200", and coding type "1" for UTF-8. The payload includes the creditor IBAN (CH or LI, 21 characters), creditor address, amount (optional), currency (CHF or EUR), optional debtor address, reference type and reference, an optional Mitteilung, and ends with the trailer "EPD" (End Payment Data).

For official Swiss invoices, the Swiss QR Code must be embedded in the standardized Zahlteil, which occupies the lower third of an A4 page. The Zahlteil is divided into two parts by a vertical dashed line: the Empfangsschein (receipt section, ~62 mm wide) on the left and the Zahlteil with the QR code (~148 mm wide) on the right. The QR code must be at least 46 mm × 46 mm with a 5 mm quiet zone, and the mandatory Swiss Cross (7 mm × 7 mm) must appear in the center.

Since September 30, 2022, all Swiss banks are legally required to support Swiss QR Code — without exception. This includes all universal banks (UBS, Credit Suisse/UBS), PostFinance, all 24 cantonal banks, all Raiffeisen cooperatives, Migros Bank, Cler, Valiant, Hypothekarbank Lenzburg, and neobanks such as Neon and Yuh. All major Swiss banking apps support scanning Swiss QR Codes directly from the transfer screen.

Swiss QR Code and GiroCode are both payment QR standards but are not interchangeable. Swiss QR Code is used exclusively in Switzerland and Liechtenstein (CH/LI IBANs only), was standardized by SIX Group, and requires the mandatory Zahlteil with Swiss Cross for invoices. GiroCode is the SEPA standard for all 36 European member countries, developed by the European Payments Council. Use Swiss QR for CH/LI recipients; use GiroCode for all other SEPA payments.

Minimum QR code size: 46 mm × 46 mm on printed documents. Quiet zone: at least 5 mm of white space on all four sides. The Swiss Cross in the center is mandatory — never replace it with a logo. Font: Liberation Sans or metrically equivalent, minimum 8 pt for body text and 11 pt for headings. Print quality: minimum 300 DPI; avoid JPEG — use PNG or SVG. Always test with at least two Swiss banking apps before mass distribution.