Category 1: Customer payments and cheques
MT111 Request for Stop Payment of a Cheque
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The MT111 is the message a drawer bank sends to the bank on which it drew a cheque, asking it to stop payment of that cheque, for example because it was lost or stolen. It identifies the cheque by number, date of issue, amount and payee, and always expects an answer, preferably an MT112.
When MT111 is used
When a bank cheque or draft goes missing, is stolen, or must not be paid for another reason, the drawer bank (or a bank acting for it) sends an MT111 to the drawee bank, the correspondent on whose books the cheque is drawn. The drawee bank records a stop so that the cheque is refused if presented, and reports back with an MT112.
One MT111 covers one cheque. Fields 21, 30, 32a and 59 repeat the cheque’s details; when the cheque was advised with an MT110, field 32a must be the same as in that advice. Field 75 gives the reason or asks for something in return, using numbered queries such as /21/ (cheque stolen or lost) or /18/ (please authorise us to debit your account).
The MT111 cannot be used for a cheque issued without a named payee. Stop payment rules differ by country (how long a stop stays valid, whether it can be placed at all), so the drawee bank’s answer may limit the stop or refuse it; Swift points to the country information in its reference data for national practice.
MT111 format: sequences and fields
Message text (block 4)Mandatory
No sequences. The message has no network validated rules.
| Tag | Name | Status | Format | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Sender's Reference | M | 16x | The Sender’s reference for the stop request. No leading or trailing slash and no double slash (T26). |
| 21 | Cheque Number | M | 16x | The number of the cheque to be stopped. The answering MT112 quotes it in its own field 21. |
| 30 | Date of Issue | M | 6!n | The date (YYMMDD) on which the cheque was drawn. |
| 32a | AmountOptions A or B | M | A: 6!n3!a15d B: 3!a15d | Currency and amount of the cheque. If an MT110 advised the cheque, copy its 32a exactly. Without an MT110, use option A (with value date) when the Sender has already credited the Receiver with the amount, and option B otherwise. |
| 52a | Drawer BankOptions A, B or D | O | A: [/1!a][/34x] 4!a2!a2!c[3!c] B: [/1!a][/34x] [35x] D: [/1!a][/34x] 4*35x | The bank that drew the cheque, when it is a branch of the Sender or another bank. Option A (BIC) is preferred. |
| 59 | Payee | O | [/34x] 4*35x | The payee named on the cheque. The account part must not be used. |
| 75 | Queries | O | 6*35x | The reason for the stop or a request for reimbursement authorisation. A line can start with a query number between slashes, followed by any required details: /3/ (beneficiary says payment or cheque not received, please state if and when effected), /18/ (please authorise us to debit your account), /19/ (please refund cover to the credit of an account or place), /20/ (cheque not debited as of the closing balance of a given statement), /21/ (cheque stolen or lost). One query per line. |
Format notation: n digits, a upper-case letters, c upper-case letters and digits, x any character of the Swift character set, d a decimal number with a comma, ! fixed length, [ ] optional, 4*35x up to 4 lines of 35 characters. M mandatory, O optional, C conditional (a rule decides).
Rules worth knowing
- There are no network validated rules for the MT111.
- Do not use it for a cheque issued without a specified payee.
- The MT111 always requires a response, preferably an MT112.
- When an MT110 was sent for the cheque, field 32a must be identical to the one in the MT110.
- In field 75, each query goes on its own line. Supplementary details marked (1) in the query text come first after the number; a second piece of information is preceded by a slash.
MT111 example
Northwind Trading LLC reports that the USD 15,000.00 draft issued to Silverline Machinery Inc on 20 October 2026 was lost in the post. ZagTrader Test Bank in Dubai (ZAGTAEADXXX), the drawer bank, asks BANKUS33XXX, the drawee bank, to stop payment of cheque 004417, which it advised earlier with an MT110.
{1:F01ZAGTAEADAXXX0000000000}{2:I111BANKUS33XXXXN}{4:
:20:ZTSTOP26102301
:21:004417
:30:261020
:32B:USD15000,00
:59:SILVERLINE MACHINERY INC
200 LAKE STREET
CHICAGO IL 60601
:75:/21/
-}Decode this example in the parserLine by line
| Line | What it says |
|---|---|
| {1:F01ZAGTAEADAXXX0000000000}{2:I111BANKUS33XXXXN}{4: | From the drawer bank to the drawee bank. |
| :20:ZTSTOP26102301 | Sender’s reference for the stop request. |
| :21:004417 | The cheque to stop. |
| :30:261020 | Date of issue. |
| :32B:USD15000,00 | Same 32a as in the MT110 that advised this cheque. |
| :59:SILVERLINE MACHINERY INC | Payee, name and address only. |
| 200 LAKE STREET | |
| CHICAGO IL 60601 | |
| :75:/21/ | Query 21: the cheque has been stolen or lost. |
| -} | End of block 4. |
BICs, names and the cheque number are made up.
Common errors and rejects
Cheque details do not match the advice
If 32a, the date of issue or the cheque number differ from the MT110, the drawee bank may not find the cheque and cannot place the stop. Copy the values from the advice.
Stop requested for a cheque without a named payee
The MT111 must not be used for a cheque issued without a specified payee. Agree the handling with the drawee bank by other means, for example a free-format MT199.
No answer received
An MT111 always needs a response. If no MT112 arrives, follow up with a query rather than assuming the stop is in place: until it is confirmed, the cheque may still be paid.
Stop not accepted by the drawee bank
Local law or practice may not allow a stop, or limit how long it lasts. The MT112 then answers /12/ (stop instructions not acceptable) with a reason, or /14/ with the date until which the stop is valid. Diary that date if the cheque is not recovered.
MT111 in ISO 20022
The ISO 20022 equivalent is camt.108 Cheque Cancellation or Stop Request, sent by the drawer agent to the drawee agent to place a stop on a cheque. The J.P. Morgan ISO 20022 messaging adoption schedule names the MT111 as its MT equivalent. The drawee agent answers with camt.109, the counterpart of the MT112.
Cheque messages were not part of the 22 November 2025 migration of payment instructions: BNY’s May 2025 notice says MT110, MT111 and MT112 continue to be supported until Swift defines a date.
MT111 questions
- What is an MT111?
- A request from the drawer bank to the drawee bank to stop payment of one cheque, for example because it was lost or stolen. It repeats the cheque’s number, date, amount and payee.
- What does /21/ mean in field 75 of an MT111?
- It is query number 21: the cheque has been stolen or lost. Other numbers ask for something, such as /18/ (please authorise us to debit your account) or /19/ (please refund the cover).
- How does the drawee bank answer an MT111?
- With an MT112 Status of a Request for Stop Payment of a Cheque, for example /13/ (stop instructions duly recorded) and /14/ (valid until a date), or /12/ if the stop is not acceptable.
- Can an MT111 cancel a payment made by MT103?
- No. The MT111 only stops a cheque. To ask for a customer transfer to be cancelled, send an MT192.
- What is the ISO 20022 equivalent of the MT111?
camt.108Cheque Cancellation or Stop Request, answered bycamt.109.
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