The definitive guide to SEPA Norm 19 for businesses

The SEPA Norm 19 is, in short, the modern European version of the old Cuaderno 19 (Notebook 19) that we used in Spain for direct debits. It is the file format (in XML, to be precise) that your company needs today to collect payments automatically from customers across the Single Euro Payments Area.

From a local banking “dialect” to a European language

Think of how Spain worked before monetary union. Each country had its own currency, and to operate abroad you had to switch currencies constantly. Something similar happened in banking with the formats of the Spanish Banking Association (AEB), such as the famous Cuaderno 19.

That system was our financial “dialect”: it worked perfectly within our borders, but became a mess as soon as you wanted to charge a customer in France or Germany. The arrival of SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) was like adopting the euro, but for bank transactions.

SEPA required everyone to speak the same financial language—a standard based on XML that all banks in the area understand. So SEPA Norm 19 is simply the official “translation” of our old Cuaderno 19 into this common European format.

The transition that changed everything

This change was not a simple technical update but a major leap in the digitalisation of thousands of businesses. 1 February 2014 was the deadline: from that date, the old national formats were no longer valid, forcing SMEs, the self-employed and accountancy firms to get up to speed.

SEPA Norm 19, designed to work with the SEPA Direct Debit scheme, completely changed the rules for managing collections and direct debits.

The change meant abandoning the old plain-text files (a simple .txt) and moving to XML files—a much more robust, secure format that can hold far more detailed information about each transaction.

The impact was immediate. That same year, the Bank of Spain reported a 25% increase in SEPA transactions. This advance directly benefited more than 3 million SMEs in Spain that rely on recurring collections to keep their business afloat.

For businesses, the advantages were clear:

• One format for all: No more confusion. A single file is now used to collect from any customer in the 36 countries of the SEPA zone.
• Fewer errors, more speed: The new XML files include automatic checks that reduce human error and speed up the whole collection process.
• Forced (and necessary) digitalisation: It pushed many companies to leave behind outdated systems and adopt more modern management tools.

To get the most out of it, it is essential to understand what a SEPA direct debit is and how it works.

What data do you need to create a SEPA Norm 19 file?

Think of a SEPA Norm 19 remittance file as a passport for your money. Every field is critical and must be correct. A single mistake, however small, can leave the transaction stuck at the bank’s “customs”. So before you rush to convert an Excel file, you need to understand the anatomy of this file.

To start with the basics—and where many problems arise—you need your customers’ data: the full name of the account holder, their IBAN without typos, and the exact amount to collect. It sounds obvious, but you would be surprised how many bank rejections come from a simple mistake when entering this information.

Each transaction also needs context. You must include a description for the collection, the date it will be debited, and the unique reference of the SEPA mandate that your customer signed. Note that these are not optional: they are what give the remittance legal and operational validity.

Your company’s “ID”: the Creditor Identifier

The most important piece of data for identifying yourself as the originator of collections across the SEPA area is the Creditor Identifier (CI). You could say it is your business’s ID for collecting. Without this code, which your bank assigns to you, you simply cannot issue direct debits.

Its structure is very specific and fully standardised so that no two are the same. In fact, the creation of this identifier was one of the pillars of the harmonisation of collections in Europe. Since 1 February 2014, when all remittances had to move to SEPA, this code became mandatory. That change was significant: that same year, SEPA direct debits already accounted for 70% of bulk collections in SMEs, cutting rejections by 15% thanks to these validations. If you want to go deeper, you can take a look at this guide on Cuaderno 19.

Structure of the Creditor Identifier (CI): ES + XX + CCC + NIF/NIE * ES: Country code (Spain in our case). * XX: Two check digits for validation. * CCC: A commercial suffix, usually “000”. * NIF/NIE: Your company’s tax identifier.

The SEPA mandate and the sequence of the collection

The SEPA mandate is, in essence, the authorisation your customer has signed so you can charge their account. The date of that signature is a key piece of data, because it defines the “sequence” of the collection. And no—the first collection is not the same as the monthly ones.

The system distinguishes them with three codes:

• FRST (First): Used for the first collection in a recurring series or for a one-off collection.
• RCUR (Recurrent): Used for all collections after the first in a recurring direct debit.
• FNAL (Final): Used to indicate that this is the last collection in the series.

One important detail: the collection description has a strict limit of 140 characters. This forces you to be much more direct and clear than in the old formats. The idea is that your customer immediately understands why they are being charged. Having all this data well organised in your Excel or CSV is the first and most important step for a successful conversion to SEPA.

How to avoid the most common errors when converting to SEPA

A simple mistake when converting files to SEPA Norm 19 can bring down an entire remittance. And that is not just a setback: it means delayed collections, possible bank return fees and hours of admin work fixing errors by hand. Getting ahead of these mistakes is essential for sound financial management.

Those of us in administration run into the same issues again and again. Fortunately, most are predictable and easy to fix if you know where to look.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

The problem almost always starts with the source data, which usually comes from a spreadsheet. The good news is that all these errors can be avoided.

Here are the most typical ones and how to fix them:

• IBAN in wrong format: A Spanish IBAN has 24 characters, no more and no less (ESXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX). A typo, an extra space or a missing digit, and the bank will reject it immediately. Solution: You can use an Excel formula to count characters, but the best approach is to use a tool that validates the IBAN format for you before generating anything.
• Special characters not allowed: The XML format for SEPA Norm 19 is very strict. It does not accept characters such as ‘ñ’, accented letters (á, é, í, ó, ú) or symbols like ‘&’ or ‘€’ in important fields. Solution: Check your customers’ names and the descriptions. “Nuñez” must become “Nunez”, and “Factura Nº” should become “Factura N”. It is a small change with a big impact.
• Inconsistent mandate dates: The date on which the SEPA mandate was signed must be before the collection date. A very common error is entering a future or wrong date, which invalidates the whole transaction. Solution: Review your mandate dates and make sure the date in your source file is correct.

One of the safest ways to protect yourself is to use a validator. If you want to go deeper, I recommend reading our guide on the SEPA file validator and how it can protect your operations.

The automatic guardian of your remittances

Tools like ConversorSEPA act as a guardian that runs these checks for you, fully automatically.

The platform analyses each line of your file for anything that does not add up before generating the final XML. That means errors are detected and reported to you straight away. You can then correct them at source and avoid bank rejections.

We have the case of an accountancy firm managing remittances for 50 clients. Before automating the process, they lost about 10 hours a month correcting files that the bank sent back. When they started using a converter with built-in validation, their returns dropped to zero. Suddenly they had all that time back for work that really adds value.

In the end, anticipating errors is not only a way to save money on fees. It is a smart way to optimise a process that is vital for any business’s treasury.

Practical guide to converting your Excel to SEPA Norm 19

Going from a simple spreadsheet to a SEPA Norm 19 file that your bank accepts first time might sound like a technical challenge, almost for IT people. But in reality, if we break it down into logical steps, the process is much simpler than it seems. Here is how to go from your Excel or CSV to the final XML file, without the headaches.

Think of it like assembling flat-pack furniture. First you make sure you have all the parts and screws. Then you follow the instructions to put each part together in the right order. Finally you give everything a last tighten to make sure it is solid. File conversion works in exactly the same way.

The path from your Excel to a validated file boils down to three clear phases: preparing the data well, “mapping” the fields, and finally generating and validating the file.

1. Preparing your data: the foundation

This is where it really starts. An output file can only be as good as the data you put in. So before anything else, open your Excel and check that you have the essential information in clearly defined columns.

Each row in your sheet is a collection you will make. Each column is a key piece of data for that collection.

The fields you must have are:

• Account holder name: Your customer’s full name, exactly as it appears.
• IBAN: The full bank account, with its 24 characters, and very important: no spaces or hyphens.
• Collection amount: The exact amount you will charge. You can use a full stop or comma for decimals.
• Collection description: A clear description so the customer knows what the charge is for. Note: it must not exceed 140 characters.
• SEPA mandate reference: The unique code that identifies the direct debit authorisation your customer signed.
• Mandate signing date: The exact day the customer gave you their authorisation.

Having this information clean and well organised is literally more than half the work. If you want to speed up this step, I recommend looking at how a SEPA converter can help you organise and validate this data from the start.

2. Field mapping: putting everything in its place

Once your data is ready, it is time to “translate” it. Field mapping is simply telling the conversion system which column in your Excel corresponds to each field required by the SEPA Norm 19 XML format.

It is like plugging in a stereo: you connect your Excel “Customer” column to the SEPA “Account holder name” field, the “Bank account” column to the “IBAN” field, and so on. Modern conversion tools make this very visual, letting you drag and drop or simply choose from a menu.

This step is vital, because it ensures that each piece of data ends up exactly where it should in the complex structure of the XML file.

To give you an idea, the following diagram shows where errors most often occur, such as misspelt IBANs or characters that are not allowed. A good mapping tool spots them immediately.

As you can see, most problems start in the source data. That is why it is so important to review it before generating the final file.

To make your life easier, here is a quick reference table to help you organise your Excel.

Excel to SEPA XML field correspondence

This table shows which column in a typical Excel or CSV corresponds to each key field in the SEPA file.

Column in your Excel/CSV	Corresponding SEPA XML field	Description and required format
Customer name	<Nm> (Debtor name)	Text. The full name of the account holder.
IBAN	<IBAN>	Alphanumeric. 24 characters with no spaces or hyphens (e.g. ES0123…).
Amount	<InstdAmt>	Numeric. Use full stop or comma as decimal separator (e.g. 125.50 or 125,50).
Description	<RmtInf> / <Ustrd>	Text. Maximum 140 characters. This is what the customer will see on their statement.
Mandate reference	<MndtId>	Alphanumeric. The unique identifier of the SEPA mandate.
Mandate signing date	<DtOfSgntr>	Date. Format YYYY-MM-DD.

Having your spreadsheet structured this way from the start will save you a lot of time and potential errors.

3. Final generation and validation: the moment of truth

With the data prepared and every field in place, you have reached the last step. With a single click, the conversion tool will take your file and create the XML file with the exact structure required by SEPA regulations.

But it does not end there. The final and most important step is validation. A good platform does not just create the file; it runs a final check to confirm that it 100% complies with banking standards.

This quality check gives you the peace of mind that when you upload the remittance to your bank, it will not be sent back for format errors. You have turned a task that seemed like a chore into a process that takes minutes and is secure and error-free.

Automate SEPA conversion with an API for developers

For any technical team handling a large volume of collections, manually converting files to SEPA Norm 19 soon becomes a dead end. It simply does not scale. It means hours of monotonous work, opens the door to human error that can be costly, and ultimately holds the business back. The solution to this bottleneck has a name: automation via API.

Imagine integrating SEPA file generation directly into your systems—your ERP, a CRM or custom software. Suddenly, remittance management is transformed. Instead of exporting data, moving it to a spreadsheet and uploading it manually to a converter, your own software talks to an external service and generates validated XML files in real time.

How does integration via API work?

The process is simpler than it sounds. Your application sends a request to the API, usually in JSON format, with all the data needed for the collections: customer IBAN, amount, description and mandate reference. The API processes that information, applies the relevant validations and returns the SEPA Norm 19 XML file, ready to send to the bank.

The benefits of this approach are clear from day one:

• Goodbye to human error: By removing manual handling of data, the risk of mistyping an IBAN or using the wrong format practically disappears.
• Unlimited scalability: You can process thousands of collections in seconds—something unthinkable if done by hand.
• Your team focuses on what matters: Administration staff stop spending time on repetitive tasks and can focus on work that really adds value.

Automation is no longer a luxury; it is an operational necessity. It turns remittance management into a process that runs in the background, invisibly and efficiently.

The arrival of SEPA Norm 19 established the XML format pain.008.001.02 as the standard for direct debits. A 2020 study already showed that 92% of Spanish entities processed more than 95% of their direct debits in this format, which helped cut errors by 20%. Tools such as the ConversorSEPA API, which guarantees 99.9% uptime, make this transition much easier, even for older systems. They also provide strong encryption and data deletion within 10 minutes for full security. If you want more technical detail, you can find more information on the norm here.

To keep your business operations running, it is essential to choose an API provider with guaranteed high availability and responsive technical support. After all, collection management is a critical function, and the technology behind it must be just as reliable.

Answering your questions about SEPA Norm 19

Getting into the world of collection management and banking regulations can be a bit overwhelming, especially when you come across terms like SEPA Norm 19. So you do not get lost, we have gathered the questions that come up most often in administration and finance departments. Here you will find clear, direct answers so you can manage your remittances with complete peace of mind.

Each question we answer touches a key part of the process, from whether you can still use the old formats to how to protect your data in the digital age. The aim is to give you the information you need to work with confidence and efficiency, and to avoid the typical pitfalls that can delay your collections.

Can I still use the old AEB Cuaderno 19 or 34?

The answer is a clear no. Since 1 February 2014, the formats left by the Spanish Banking Association (AEB), such as the famous Cuaderno 19 or Cuaderno 34 for transfers, are history. That date was the point of no return to the European standard.

Today, any remittance of collections or transfers you submit to your bank must be in SEPA XML format. If your management software or ERP still produces files in the old way, it is vital that you use a tool to convert them.

If you do not, the bank will send the remittance back immediately. That means significant delays for your treasury and, very likely, return fees. Adapting is no longer optional; it is an essential requirement to be able to operate.

What is the SEPA mandate and why is it so important?

The SEPA mandate is much more than a piece of paper. It is the contract—the legal agreement that gives you permission to collect from your customer’s account. If you do not have a properly signed and stored mandate, any collection you issue is legally improper and can be returned without notice.

Within the SEPA Norm 19 file, it is crucial. There are two mandate details you must include:

1. The unique mandate reference: A code that identifies it beyond doubt.
2. The signing date: The exact day your customer gave you the go-ahead.

Watch out for that last one—the signing date—because it determines the type of collection. The first collection you submit will be marked as FRST (first), and the following ones as RCUR (recurrent). This has a direct impact on the deadlines for you to submit it and for the customer to return it.

What do I do if the collection description exceeds 140 characters?

One of the strictest limits in the SEPA standard is the description field: you have a maximum of 140 characters. This is the text your customer will see on their bank statement, so it must be as clear and descriptive as possible.

If the description in your system or Excel is longer, it will be cut when the XML file is created. The result can be a half-finished, unclear description for your customer, and they may return the collection because they do not know what it is for.

It is essential to get used to writing concise descriptions. Good conversion tools usually warn you if a text is too long, but in the end it is your responsibility to make sure the description is correct and fits within the limit.

Is it safe to upload my files with bank data to an online converter?

The security of financial data is, rightly, one of the main concerns of any company. When you use an online tool to convert files to SEPA Norm 19, protecting that information must be the top priority.

Serious, professional platforms take this very seriously. The communication between your computer and their servers must always be protected with SSL/TLS encryption, the same technology banks use for their websites.

But encryption is not everything. The data retention policy is just as important.

A trusted service, like ConversorSEPA, never keeps your files forever. The process is simple: you upload your file, convert it, download the XML, and shortly after, both the original and the new file are completely deleted from their servers—usually within 10 minutes.

This approach ensures that your sensitive information is never exposed or stored out there. It fully complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and gives you the peace of mind you need to work.

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Managing remittances does not have to be a headache. With ConversorSEPA, turn your spreadsheets into valid SEPA files in minutes, with automatic validation and maximum security. Try our tool for free and simplify your collections from today.

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