MT103 — The SWIFT Payment Confirmation Message

MT103 is the SWIFT message type banks exchange to confirm a cross-border customer credit transfer. If you have been sent a PDF or print-out titled "MT103", this page explains what it is, what each field means, and how to use it to track the payment.

Annotated SWIFT MT103 form highlighting the UETR, reference number, amount, sender currency, and date of payment fields
A SWIFT MT103 message with the five fields most relevant for tracking labelled: UETR (field 121), reference number (field 20), amount and currency (field 32A), and date of payment.

Every MT103 carries a fixed set of structured fields. For tracking, these five matter most:

  • :121: UETR — a 36-character unique end-to-end transaction reference. The single best identifier to use with any tracker.
  • :20: Sender's reference — a free-form transaction reference assigned by the originating bank.
  • :32A: Value date, currency, and amount.
  • :50K: / :50A: Ordering customer (payer).
  • :59: Beneficiary customer (payee).

How an MT103 Gets Tracked

MT103 tracking process flow Four-step flow: MT103 received, UETR extracted, banks queried for status, routing and status displayed. MT103 received Extract UETR from field 121 Query banks in the route See route + status intermediary banks

Learn More About MT103

See a sample MT103

A full annotated example of a SWIFT MT103 form with every field labelled.

How to track using an MT103

Step-by-step guide to tracking an international wire using the UETR and reference number from your MT103.

What is a UETR?

The 36-character unique end-to-end transaction reference that identifies every SWIFT payment.

MT103's successor: pacs.008

ISO 20022 replaces MT103 with pacs.008. Key differences, migration timeline, and tracking implications.
Track a SWIFT Payment