The invoice with a QR payment part (Swiss QR Bill) is the Swiss standard for structured invoices with an integrated payment code. The QR code contains all the details required for seamless payment: recipient data, amount, reference number, and payment purpose. It completely replaced the traditional payment slip in 2022.
Standardized by: SIX Interbank Clearing / SwissPay
Replacement for: Red (ES) and orange (ESR) payment slips
Mandatory since: October 1, 2022 (in Switzerland)
What is an invoice with a QR payment part?
The invoice with a QR payment part – officially Swiss QR Bill or QR invoice – is the current Swiss standard for structured invoices with a machine-readable payment code. The QR code contains all the information necessary for fast, error-free payment: recipient, amount, reference number, and payment purpose.
Anyone receiving a QR invoice can simply scan it at an ATM, in their mobile banking app, or via the PostFinance portal to pay without having to type in any details. For billers, the QR invoice is mandatory: since October 1, 2022, traditional payment slips (red and orange) are no longer processed.
What the QR code contains
The Swiss QR Code stores structured data according to a uniform specification:
- Recipient: Name, address, IBAN, or QR-IBAN
- Payable amount and currency (CHF or EUR)
- Payment reference:
- QR reference (for QR-IBAN) – purpose-bound, replaces the ESR reference
- Creditor Reference (ISO 11649) – can be used internationally
- No reference – for very simple payments
- Invoice recipient: Name and address
- Additional information: Invoice number, customer number, remarks
- Invoice information in structured format (S1 syntax) for automated accounting
Layout and format specifications
The QR payment part has a strictly defined layout:
- Format: 105 × 210 mm, perforated for detachment from the actual invoice (or as a separate page)
- Elements: Payment slip (left), payment part (right) with QR code and all payment data
- Swiss cross in the center of the QR code for clear identification
- Fonts and sizes precisely specified (Helvetica, Arial, or Liberation Sans)
- Margins and separator lines in a defined thickness
This standardization ensures that every Swiss bank can process the invoice without any adjustments.
Reference types in detail
- QR-IBAN with QR reference: Replaces the orange payment slip. Purpose-bound, ideal for high reconciliation accuracy in conference ticketing
- Standard IBAN with Creditor Reference: Internationally compatible (ISO 11649). Allows for a structured reference even for payments from abroad
- Standard IBAN without reference: Only for simple cases – reconciliation is performed manually via the payment purpose
Benefits for organizers
- Automated reconciliation of incoming payments to bookings – no manual matching required
- Higher payment rate due to lower barriers for customers
- Fewer errors by eliminating the need to type in the IBAN and reference number
- Camt.054 import from bank file into the conference system – status updates in near real-time
- International compatibility via ISO 11649 creditor reference
- Also suitable for PDF delivery – the QR code is optimized for both screen and print
Best practices for conference ticketing
- Request a QR-IBAN from your bank – a prerequisite for automatic reconciliation
- Reference number logic structure clearly – conference ID, booking ID, check digit. Converia handles this automatically.
- Camt.054 import import automatically on a daily basis
- Test invoices print and scan before sales begin. Possible in Converia Neon test mode without using up "real" invoice numbers unnecessarily
- Multilingual invoices for international attendees
- PDF-optimized resolution for the QR code (min. 300 dpi)
- Cancellation and credit note logic with correctly generated new reference numbers
- Archiving in PDF/A format for the 10-year statutory period
Limitations and alternatives
QR invoices are the standard in Switzerland, but they don't work everywhere:
- Not for EU payments – SEPA rules apply there, not QR invoices
- For immediate payment: Twint, credit card, or e-banking instant payment are faster
- For B2B bulk invoicing: Supplementing with e-invoices in Peppol or XRechnung format is recommended
QR invoices in Converia
Converia automatically generates invoices with a QR payment part for Swiss events: Swiss QR Code with structured payment data, QR-IBAN or standard IBAN with reference number, correct formatting in the standardized layout, and multilingual output.
Swiss payment standards without the extra effort
With Converia, you automatically meet the QR payment part standard – no separate software, no manual code generation required.
- Payment management – Ticketing & registration
- E-invoices – Compliance & Legal
- Twint – Ticketing & Registration
Swiss QR Bill with structured payment part – automatically generated for congresses in Switzerland.