Category 7
Category 7 MT messages: documentary credits and guarantees
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Category 7 carries trade finance between banks. Documentary credits: issue (MT700, continued in MT701), pre-advice (MT705), amendment (MT707, MT708), advice through a third bank (MT710, MT711), transfer (MT720, MT721), discrepancies and refusals (MT734, MT750), authorisations and advices of payment (MT752, MT754, MT756).
Bank-to-bank reimbursement: authorisation to reimburse (MT740, amended by MT747), reimbursement claims (MT742) and notices of non-conforming claims (MT744). Demand guarantees and standby letters of credit: issue (MT760, MT761), amendments and the response to them (MT767, MT775, MT787), demands and their refusal (MT765, MT786), acknowledgements (MT768), reduction or release (MT769) and non-extension (MT785).
Category 7 has its own free-format message (MT799) and a structured ancillary message (MT759). It was not part of the November 2025 payments migration and stays on MT. Credits usually follow UCP 600, guarantees URDG 758 and standbys ISP98.
38 message types in the current standard (10 with a full page).
Documentary credits
- MT700Issue of a Documentary Credit
Issues a documentary credit (letter of credit) from the issuing bank to the advising bank.
Full page - MT701Issue of a Documentary Credit
Continuation of an MT700 when the documentary credit is too long for one message.
Catalogue - MT705Pre-Advice of a Documentary Credit
Brief advance notice of a documentary credit whose full terms follow in an MT700.
Catalogue - MT707Amendment to a Documentary Credit
Amends a documentary credit (letter of credit): amount, dates, shipment, documents, conditions or cancellation.
Full page - MT708Amendment to a Documentary Credit
Continuation of an MT707 when the amendment text is too long for one message.
Catalogue - MT710Advice of a Third Bank's or a Non-Bank's Documentary Credit
Passes a documentary credit issued by another bank (or a non-bank) on to a second advising bank.
Full page - MT711Advice of a Third Bank's or a Non-Bank's Documentary Credit
Continuation of an MT710 when the advised credit is too long for one message.
Catalogue - MT720Transfer of a Documentary Credit
Transfers a transferable documentary credit, in whole or in part, to a second beneficiary.
Full page - MT721Transfer of a Documentary Credit
Continuation of an MT720 when the transferred credit is too long for one message.
Catalogue - MT730Acknowledgement
Acknowledges a documentary credit message, claims charges or reports acceptance of an amendment.
Catalogue - MT732Advice of Discharge
Tells the presenting bank that discrepant documents have been taken up.
Catalogue - MT734Advice of Refusal
Refuses documents that do not comply with the credit and says how they are held.
Catalogue - MT750Advice of Discrepancy
Reports discrepant documents under a letter of credit and asks the issuing bank for authorisation to pay.
Full page - MT752Authorisation to Pay, Accept or Negotiate
Issuing bank’s authorisation to pay, accept or negotiate documents despite discrepancies.
Full page - MT754Advice of Payment/Acceptance/Negotiation
Advises the issuing bank that complying documents were paid, accepted or negotiated.
Catalogue - MT756Advice of Reimbursement or Payment
Advises that a drawing under a letter of credit has been reimbursed or paid.
Full page - MT759Ancillary Trade Structured Message
Structured message for trade information with no specific message type, preferred over the MT799.
Catalogue
Reimbursement
- MT740Authorisation to Reimburse
Authorises a reimbursing bank to honour claims under a documentary credit.
Catalogue - MT742Reimbursement Claim
Claims reimbursement under a documentary credit from the reimbursing bank.
Catalogue - MT744Notice of Non-Conforming Reimbursement Claim
Tells the claiming bank that its reimbursement claim does not conform and will not be paid as sent.
Catalogue - MT747Amendment to an Authorisation to Reimburse
Amends the terms of an MT740 authorisation to reimburse.
Catalogue
Guarantees and standby letters of credit
- MT760Issue of a Demand Guarantee / Standby Letter of Credit
Issues, advises or requests a demand guarantee or standby letter of credit (structured since November 2021).
Full page - MT761Issue of a Demand Guarantee / Standby Letter of Credit
Continuation of an MT760 when the guarantee or standby terms are too long for one message.
Catalogue - MT765Guarantee / Standby Letter of Credit Demand
Demands payment under a guarantee or standby, optionally asking to extend instead.
Catalogue - MT767Amendment to a Demand Guarantee / Standby Letter of Credit
Amends, or requests cancellation of, a guarantee or standby letter of credit issued with an MT760.
Full page - MT768Acknowledgement of a Guarantee / Standby Message
Acknowledges a guarantee or standby message and can claim charges.
Catalogue - MT769Advice of Reduction or Release
Advises that liability under a guarantee or standby is reduced or released.
Catalogue - MT775Amendment to a Demand Guarantee / Standby Letter of Credit
Continuation of an MT767 when the guarantee amendment is too long for one message.
Catalogue - MT785Guarantee / Standby Letter of Credit Non Extension Notification
Notifies that a guarantee or standby will not be extended beyond its current expiry.
Catalogue - MT786Guarantee / Standby Letter of Credit Demand Refusal
Refuses a demand for payment under a guarantee or standby and gives the reasons.
Catalogue - MT787Guarantee / Standby Letter of Credit Amendment Response
Reports the beneficiary’s acceptance or rejection of a guarantee or standby amendment.
Catalogue
Common group and other messages
- MT790Advice of Charges, Interest and Other Adjustments
Advises charges, interest or other adjustments booked to an account (trade finance).
Catalogue - MT791Request for Payment of Charges, Interest and Other Expenses
Asks another institution to pay charges, interest or expenses (trade finance).
Catalogue - MT792Request for Cancellation
Asks the receiver to cancel an earlier trade finance message.
Catalogue - MT795Queries
Asks a question about an earlier trade finance message.
Catalogue - MT796Answers
Answers a query or cancellation request about a trade finance message.
Catalogue - MT798Proprietary Message
Proprietary envelope used for corporate-to-bank trade finance messages on Swift.
Catalogue - MT799Free Format Message
Free text between banks about trade finance business (category 7).
Full page
Category 7 questions
- What is the difference between MT700 and MT760?
- An MT700 issues a documentary credit, which pays against documents. An MT760 issues a demand guarantee or standby letter of credit, which pays against a demand when the applicant fails to perform.
- Is category 7 moving to ISO 20022?
- Trade finance was not part of the 2025 cross-border payments migration and remains on MT.
- What is MT799 used for?
- It is the free-format message of category 7, for bank-to-bank correspondence about a credit or guarantee that no structured message covers.
Other categories
- Category 1: Customer payments and cheques
- Category 2: Financial institution transfers
- Category 3: Foreign exchange, money markets and derivatives
- Category 4: Collections and cash letters
- Category 5: Securities markets
- Category 6: Commodities and reference data
- Category 8: Travellers cheques
- Category 9: Cash management and customer status
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