GLOBAL PAYMENTS KNOWLEDGEISO 20022 / SWIFT / SEPA / MT / MX
PAYMENTSSIGNAL

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PROGRESS
MT299SWIFT MT

MT299 — Free Format Message

Carries Category 2 information when no more specific structured message fits. It should not replace MT292, MT295 or MT296 merely for convenience.

DIRECTION: Sent between financial institutions about a Category 2 transfer or case.

Version + profile: MT299 follows the applicable Standards MT release and service rules. This page is a curated field subset; bilateral practice and annual standards changes can alter permitted content and handling.

Contributor Shubham Mathure

DOMAIN + EDITORIAL AUDITAudited 2026-07-18 for payment logic, source scope, technical writing, and Payments Signal voice — see the method.

EVIDENCE AT ARM'S REACH

IMPLEMENTATION RESOURCES

Start with the exact message version, then apply the scheme or network profile that governs your implementation.

An XSD checks XML structure. A usage guideline adds profile rules, conditional fields, code restrictions, and business controls. XSD-valid does not mean scheme-compliant.

MappingCBPR+current

MT299 query → camt.110 implementation mapping

Field correspondence, transformation treatment, and data-loss notes for Residual Category 2 free-format query compared with a structured investigation request.

Owner
Payments Signal
Checked
2026-07-19
Integrity
crc32:13f0a0ec
Access
Payments Signal download · Original, source-backed teaching asset; no login required.
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MappingCBPR+current

MT299 answer → camt.111 implementation mapping

Field correspondence, transformation treatment, and data-loss notes for Residual Category 2 free-format answer compared with a structured investigation response.

Owner
Payments Signal
Checked
2026-07-19
Integrity
crc32:59866077
Access
Payments Signal download · Original, source-backed teaching asset; no login required.
DOWNLOAD
Field matrixBase ISO 20022current

MT299 field matrix

Curated field requirements, contexts, operational meaning, and implementation cautions.

Owner
Payments Signal
Checked
2026-07-19
Integrity
crc32:1fceebf8
Access
Payments Signal download · Original, source-backed teaching asset; no login required.
DOWNLOAD

WHO IS INVOLVED

  • Message senderProvides precise references and uses free format only where a specific message does not fit.
  • Message receiverRoutes the narrative and correlates it to the underlying transfer.

KEY FIELDS

Curated teaching subset. Bilateral narrative conventions vary and should not be presented as universal standard fields.

Key fields of MT299
FIELDNAMEPRESENCEWHAT IT MEANS
:20:Message referenceMANDATORYUnique reference for the free-format message.
:21:Related referenceMANDATORYReference of the transfer or case being discussed.
:79:NarrativeMANDATORYFree-format information following any agreed conventions.
:79:/RFI/Information-request markerOPTIONALAgreed marker showing a request-for-information purpose.
:79:/INFO/Information markerOPTIONALAgreed marker showing information is being supplied.
Block 3 / field 121UETRCONDITIONALNetwork reference used to correlate the underlying transfer.

COMMON ERRORS

  • Using MT299 instead of a specific Category 2 message.Consequence: An automatable process becomes a manual narrative case.Avoid it: Try MT292, MT295 or MT296 first.
  • Omitting the underlying reference.Consequence: The receiver cannot identify the transfer.Avoid it: Lead with the case reference, original transaction reference and UETR.

USAGE CONTEXTS

  • Residual Category 2 correspondenceUsed only when a more specific cancellation, query or answer message does not fit.
  • MigrationFree text may not translate safely into structured investigation data without controlled enrichment.
MT299 QUERY → CAMT.110 MT299 ANSWER → CAMT.111

LEARN THE CONTEXT

Sources for this reference2
  1. Official requirement

    Swift Standards MT (annual standards releases) ↗ — Swift · Category 2 — MT299 Free Format Message

    Defines the MT message standards (including MT101, MT103, MT202/202 COV, and the MT9xx statement messages) exchanged over the Swift FIN network, maintained through annual standards releases. · Checked 2026-07-18

    Full field-level specifications live in the Swift Knowledge Centre User Handbook behind a swift.com login. Coexistence for in-scope FI-to-FI payment instructions ended on 22 November 2025, but treatment differs by MT: some instructions are NAKed and selected messages can enter temporary, chargeable contingency conversion. Reporting, initiation, investigations and correspondence follow separate roadmaps.

  2. Simplified educational illustration

    Payments Signal editorial teaching models — Payments Signal

    This site's own simplified teaching models. · Checked 2026-07-12

    What this simplifies: Bilateral narrative conventions are omitted.

    Used wherever diagrams, scenarios, figures, or example values are didactic constructions rather than sourced facts; every such use carries a simplifications disclosure. All people, companies, banks, and list entries in examples are fictional.

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