What is an UETR?

A Unique End-to-End Transaction Reference (UETR) is a 36-character alphanumeric string which is a unique identifier for international payments processed through the SWIFT network. The sender issues a unique, unalterable reference which allows a payment to be located at any time, by any of the parties in the chain.

Benefits of UETR?
1. UETR is basically used to track payments from start to finish
2. Anyone can track current status of their transactions using UETR
3. Eliminates reference chains
4. Real-time tracking
5. Transparency
6. Reduces reconciliation issues
7. Improved customer visibility
 8. Cost and efficiency savings

Where can I find my UETR reference number?
You can find the UETR under a specific transaction or in the MT103 message of the payment. If you receive a digital or physical bank statement, the UETR number may be mentioned in the details of the international transaction. 

Purpose:
UETRs are used to provide transparency, for all parties in a payment chain, and to enable functionality from SWIFT GPI

Message types:
Swift users are required to provide a UETR for the following message types: MT103, MT 103 STP, MT 103 REMIT, MT 202, MT 205, MT 202 COV, and MT 205 COV.

Error handling:
Payment messages sent without a UETR attached receive a NAK error and are returned to the originator.

MT103 message:
Each MT103 message can be identified by UETR code or/and Sender's Reference Number. UETR - Unique End-to-End Transaction Reference, 36-character alphanumeric code that serves as a unique identifier for a specific payment transaction. 

Here is an example of UETR code: de2da6c9-18be-48d4-8053-867ed90a316a.