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Free Swiss QR Code generator.

The Swiss QR Code is the QR code with the Swiss cross on every QR-bill. Enter your IBAN, address and amount to create one for your invoices.

Create barcode → No credit card required

Swiss QR Code with the Swiss cross, encoding QR-bill data for CHF 100.00 to Robert Schneider AG in Biel — Example: CHF 100.00 to Robert Schneider AG, Biel, IBAN CH58 0079 1123 0008 8901 2 without reference; 49 × 49 modules

How to create a Swiss QR Code

01
Use your normal IBAN, not a QR-IBAN

The free generator writes no reference, which SIX permits only with a normal IBAN. A QR-IBAN, with an institution ID from 30000 to 31999 in positions 5–9, takes only a 27-digit QR reference.
02
Enter the address in parts

Give street, building number, postal code and town separately, as your bank holds them; the generator writes a structured address (type S) with country CH. Type the amount as 1250.50, without thousands separators.
03
Download SVG, print at 46 × 46 mm

SIX requires 46 × 46 mm, scaled from a vector graphic: download SVG, which comes with a plan. Keep 5 mm free around the code.

What the Swiss QR Code is and what it replaced

Every QR-bill, the standard for written invoices in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, carries a Swiss QR Code on its payment part. The code holds the payment data and shows a white cross on a black square in its centre. QR-bills have circulated since June 2020 and replaced the red and orange payment slips for good on 1 October 2022.

Who scans the Swiss QR Code, and with what

Debtors scan it with the camera in their e-banking or m-banking app, or with a scanner into ERP (enterprise resource planning) or payment software. The data fills in the payment, so nobody retypes a 21-character IBAN or a 27-digit reference.

Paper payment parts can also be paid in cash at the post office counter, while a QR-bill sent as a PDF suits e-banking and m-banking only. Landlords and leasing firms issue QR-bills for a series of instalments; foundations leave the amount open for donations.

Automatic payment matching and one fixed print size

To-scale drawing of the sample: 49 × 49 modules at 46 × 46 mm with the Swiss cross and a 5 mm clear border.

A QR reference or Creditor Reference lets you match incoming payments to open invoices automatically, and its check digits catch typing errors. SIX notes that consistent processing is ensured only for the QR reference. Add references with TBarCode or your invoicing software; the free generator writes none.

The drawing shows the sample at SIX's fixed 46 × 46 mm: its 49 × 49 modules measure 0.939 mm, above the 0.4 mm minimum. The cross takes 7 × 7 mm, and 5 mm stay clear around the code.

File formats, invoice runs and TEC-IT software

Developer holding a printed barcode label beside a monitor with barcode software

Download GIF, PNG or JPG for free; SVG, the vector format SIX's scaling rule calls for, and higher print resolution come with a plan. Without an account you create one code at a time; after a free sign-in, a data sheet creates many in one go.

In Word, TBarCode Office places the codes in mail merges, fed by TEC-IT's Excel sheet that builds the version 2.3 data. TBarCode SDK generates them in your own software as a .NET, ActiveX or DLL component, with EPS, PDF or SVG output. A C# sample for its .NET component builds the version 2.3 data with structured addresses.

Swiss QR Code at a glance

Type: QR Code (ISO/IEC 18004) with the Swiss cross
Specification: SIX QR-bill guidelines 2.3 (from 21 November 2025); 2.4 from 14 November 2026
Data: 31 lines from SPC to EPD (End Payment Data)
Character set: UTF-8: Basic Latin, Latin-1 Supplement, Latin Extended-A, Ș ș Ț ț €
Capacity: 997 characters with separators; version 25 (117 × 117 modules) at most
Account: IBAN or QR-IBAN, 21 characters, CH or LI
Amount: CHF or EUR, 0.01 to 999,999,999.99, or open
Error correction: Level M (about 15%)
Printed size: 46 × 46 mm, cross 7 × 7 mm, modules at least 0.4 mm
Quiet zone: 4 modules (1.6 mm or more); 5 mm on the payment part

What the Swiss QR Code contains

The data is plain text in fixed lines, separated by LF or CR + LF throughout. Lines 1–31 must all be present, even when empty, and the last line ends without a line break.

Lines	Content	Rule
1–3	`SPC`, `0200`, `1`	Header: type, version, UTF-8; never printed
4	IBAN or QR-IBAN	21 characters, CH or LI
5–11	Creditor: `S`, name, street, number, postal code, town, country	Postal code, town and country required
12–18	Ultimate creditor	Must stay empty
19–20	Amount, currency	`1250.50`; CHF or EUR
21–27	Debtor (“Payable by”)	Optional
28–29	Reference type, reference	`QRR`, `SCOR` or `NON`
30–31	Message, trailer `EPD`	Message up to 140 characters
32–34	Billing information, alternative procedures	Optional; billing data is not forwarded with the payment

QR-IBAN with QR reference, IBAN with Creditor Reference or none

Account	Type	Reference	Currency
QR-IBAN `CH44 3199 9123 0008 8901 2`	`QRR`	27 digits, the last a modulo 10 recursive check digit: `21 00000 00003 13947 14300 09017`	CHF or EUR; CHF only under 2.4, from 14 November 2026
IBAN `CH58 0079 1123 0008 8901 2`	`SCOR`	ISO 11649: `RF`, 2 check digits (modulo 97-10), 5–25 characters: `RF18 5390 0754 7034`	CHF or EUR
IBAN	`NON`	None	CHF or EUR

Check digit at work: SIX's modulo 10 recursive table turns digits 1–26 of that QR reference into a carry of 3, giving check digit 10 − 3 = 7.

Guideline versions and the end of the combined address

2.2 (2021) brought no technical change and still allowed type K, the combined address.
2.3 (valid from 21 November 2025) removed type K and widened the character set.
2.4 (from 14 November 2026) leaves CHF unchanged; EUR then pairs an IBAN only with a Creditor Reference or none. Version 2.3 remains valid until November 2027.

SIX set 21 November 2025 as the deadline for adapting invoicing; since that date, the QR-bill permits only the structured address. Bills with type K can only be used for a short transitional period after 21 November 2025. Banks must have standing orders and templates adjusted by 13 November 2026.

Print checks: size, margin, cross, test scan

Size: 46 × 46 mm without margin for every QR version; generate the smallest version, then scale it from a vector graphic.
Margin: at least 4 modules (1.6 mm or more), and 5 mm on the payment part. The generator's image has none unless you set a quiet zone.
Cross: TEC-IT's engine draws it. If your software overlays SIX's logo file instead, centre it and keep its proportions.
Error correction: level M is binding, and the generator always encodes M, whatever its setting shows.
Test: scan a printout with a banking app, and check the data in SIX's validation portal.

Mistakes that stop a QR-bill payment

QR-IBAN without QR reference. Software reading the code must check this pairing, which fails. Add the 27-digit reference, or use your normal IBAN.
Combined address, type K. TEC-IT's engine refuses it in the 2.3 variants (“Invalid data format”). Split it into street, building number, postal code and town.
Thousands separators in the amount. Only digits and a decimal point are allowed: 1250.50, not 1'250.50.
QR reference typed by hand. One wrong digit fails the modulo 10 check, and TEC-IT's engine stops with “Wrong check digit”. Copy references from your invoicing software.

Swiss QR Code or another payment code

EPC QR code ›

The EPC QR code (BCD) prefills a SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) credit transfer in euros; it has no cross and makes no QR-bill.

QR Code ›

A plain QR Code holds any text or link, without SIX's line structure, level M and cross.

Which Swiss QR Code variant to choose

Pick Swiss QR Code 2.3 (No Reference): all seven open the same generator, which writes a structured address with country CH, no debtor and no reference.

Swiss QR Code 2.3 (No Reference)

IBAN without reference, in CHF or EUR, as the generator writes it; the engine refuses type K.

Create Swiss QR Code 2.3 (No Reference) ›

Swiss QR Code 2.3 (Creditor Ref.)

For an IBAN with an RF Creditor Reference, added with TBarCode or invoicing software: the generator has no reference field.

Create Swiss QR Code 2.3 (Creditor Ref.) ›

Swiss QR Code 2.3 (QR Ref.)

For a QR-IBAN with a QR reference, also added outside the generator; the engine verifies its check digit. CHF only under guideline 2.4, from 14 November 2026.

Create Swiss QR Code 2.3 (QR Ref.) ›

Swiss QR Code 2.2 (No Reference)

Same code as 2.3 for a structured address, but the engine still accepts type K, not permitted by SIX since 21 November 2025. Choose 2.3 instead.

Create Swiss QR Code 2.2 (No Reference) ›

Swiss QR Code 2.2 (Creditor Ref.)

Choose 2.3 (Creditor Ref.) instead: this 2.2 counterpart still accepts type K.

Create Swiss QR Code 2.2 (Creditor Ref.) ›

Swiss QR Code 2.2 (QR Ref.)

Choose 2.3 (QR Ref.) instead: this 2.2 counterpart still accepts type K.

Create Swiss QR Code 2.2 (QR Ref.) ›

Swiss QR Code 1.0

Named after guideline 1.0 (2017) but handled like 2.2; the generator writes 0200, the only version SIX permits. Choose a 2.3 variant instead.

Create Swiss QR Code 1.0 ›

Frequently asked questions

Learn more about Swiss QR Code.

What is the difference between a QR-IBAN and an IBAN?

A QR-IBAN carries an institution ID from 30000 to 31999 in positions 5–9; otherwise it has the same 21-character format as an IBAN. That range tells every payment channel that a QR reference must follow. Banks assign QR-IBANs for incoming payments only, so you keep a normal IBAN alongside.

Can a Swiss QR Code request payment in euros?

Yes, the currency line accepts CHF or EUR. From 14 November 2026, guideline 2.4 allows EUR only with a normal IBAN, with a Creditor Reference or none. SIX expects QR-bills in EUR to be processed as SEPA credit transfers after November 2027 at the latest.

Does a QR-bill need an amount and the debtor's address?

No, both are optional, and the free generator writes no debtor. Without an amount, the debtor fills it in when paying, as with donations; without a debtor, the heading reads “Payable by (name/address)” above a blank field. A bill that only informs carries 0.00 and “DO NOT USE FOR PAYMENT”.

Do banks have to approve my QR-bills before I send them?

No: SIX states there is no obligation to have QR-bills checked; a financial institution examines them only on request. For self-checks, SIX offers a validation portal and a grid sheet in its style guide. Payment parts with a faulty printed code can be rejected.

More resources

Guide

Label standards with Swiss QR Code

Swiss QR-bill

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