What does MS03 mean in ISO 20022?

MS03 is Not Specified Reason Agent Generated in the ExternalStatusReason1Code code set: Reason has not been specified by agent.

What should I do when I get MS03?

Read AddtlInf in the status or return message; banks often add a short explanation there. Ask your bank or correspondent for the reason through an investigation before you send the payment again.

Where does MS03 appear in a message?

For example in pacs.002, element TxInfAndSts/StsRsnInf/Rsn/Cd.

ExternalStatusReason1Code

MS03 Reason Code: Not Specified Reason Agent Generated

Written and maintained by ZagTrader. Last reviewed 21 October 2026. How this page is sourced and checked

MS03 means not specified reason agent generated in the ISO 20022 status reason code set. The bank gave no specific reason.

Code: MS03
ISO name: NotSpecifiedReasonAgentGenerated
Status: Registered
Last updated: 2009-04-01

Official definition

Reason has not been specified by agent.

Definition from the ISO 20022 External Code Sets, 2Q2026 (published 28 Aug 2026).

What it means in practice

In a pacs.002 or pain.002 status report, a status reason code explains why a payment instruction was rejected (RJCT) or why it has another status. It sits in TxInfAndSts/StsRsnInf/Rsn/Cd.

The bank gave no specific reason. Banks use it when the real reason cannot be disclosed (data protection, compliance, sanctions screening) or when no code fits.

It is meant as a last resort. A payment rejected with MS03 needs a conversation, not a resend.

What to do

Read AddtlInf in the status or return message; banks often add a short explanation there.
Ask your bank or correspondent for the reason through an investigation before you send the payment again.

Messages and fields that use ExternalStatusReason1Code

Message	Element path
pacs.002	TxInfAndSts/StsRsnInf/Rsn/Cd, OrgnlGrpInfAndSts/StsRsnInf/Rsn/Cd
pain.002	OrgnlGrpInfAndSts/StsRsnInf/Rsn/Cd, OrgnlPmtInfAndSts/StsRsnInf/Rsn/Cd, OrgnlPmtInfAndSts/TxInfAndSts/StsRsnInf/Rsn/Cd
auth.027	GrpSts/StsRsn/Rsn/Cd, PackgSts/StsRsn/Rsn/Cd, PackgSts/RcrdSts/StsRsn/Rsn/Cd
camt.025	RctDtls/ReqHdlg/StsRsn/Rsn/Cd
camt.111	InvstgtnRspn/InvstgtnData/RspnData/TxSts/StsRsnInf/Rsn/Cd
pain.014	OrgnlGrpInfAndSts/StsRsnInf/Rsn/Cd, OrgnlPmtInfAndSts/StsRsnInf/Rsn/Cd, OrgnlPmtInfAndSts/TxInfAndSts/StsRsnInf/Rsn/Cd
reda.016	PtySts/StsRsn/Rsn/Cd
reda.020	SctiesAcctSts/StsRsn/Rsn/Cd
reda.047	SctyCSDLkSts/StsRsn/Rsn/Cd
reda.051	AcctLkSts/StsRsn/Rsn/Cd

And 8 more messages: see the ExternalStatusReason1Code page.

MS03 in other code sets

MS03 questions

What does MS03 mean in ISO 20022?: MS03 is Not Specified Reason Agent Generated in the ExternalStatusReason1Code code set: Reason has not been specified by agent.
What should I do when I get MS03?: Read AddtlInf in the status or return message; banks often add a short explanation there. Ask your bank or correspondent for the reason through an investigation before you send the payment again.
Where does MS03 appear in a message?: For example in pacs.002, element TxInfAndSts/StsRsnInf/Rsn/Cd.

All ExternalStatusReason1Code codes · ISO 20022 code sets · pacs.002 reject reasons explained

The ISO 20022 code names and definitions on this page are reproduced from material published at iso20022.org under the ISO 20022 Intellectual Property Rights policy. This is not the official source: the up-to-date ISO 20022 standards and repository material are published only at iso20022.org. Explanations in our own words are by ZagTrader. ZagTrader is not affiliated with or endorsed by ISO or Swift.