DataTransfer – Appendix 5

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    DataTransfer – Appendix 5

    Description of the DataTransfer interface

    EAD (Electronic Advance Data) submission for international letter mail containing goods

    1. Introduction

    1.1 Who is this guide written for?

    This Appendix contains the technical information relating to the electronic submission of EAD (Electronic Advance Data) to Swiss Post.

    1.2 What information will you receive about DataTransfer?

    DataTransfer Manual: Overview and functional descriptions for DataTransfer

    Brief description of DataTransfer services, letters with barcode (BmB) via DataTransfer, Letter ID, “Create a Dispatch List” via DataTransfer and Parcel Post easy via SFTP, an explanation of how DataTransfer works and an illustration of the registration and test procedure. This is aimed primarily at DataTransfer decision-makers.

    DataTransfer – Appendix 1: Description of DataTransfer customer interface: Parcels, Express, Solutions, letters with barcode (BmB) and Letter ID

    Description of the notification structure and data to be submitted for parcels, Express, Solutions, BmB, Letter ID plus technical specifications such as input file formats and naming conventions.

    DataTransfer – Appendix 2: Description of customer interface “Create a Dispatch List”

    Description of the data to be submitted for “Create a Dispatch List” and overview of “Create a Dispatch List” reports.

    DataTransfer – Appendix 3: Description of DataTransfer reports

    Description of the contents of reports for BmB, parcels and Swiss-Express, but excluding “Create a Dispatch List”.

    DataTransfer – Appendix 5: Description of the DataTransfer customer interface: EAD submission

    Description of the technical information for electronic data delivery of EAD (Electronic Advance Data) for international letter mail containing goods.

    1.3 Validity

    The manual is updated online. Changes are set out in section 5 in the release notes.

    The current version already contains the new fields required as part of the EU customs reform from 1 November 2026.

    1.4 Abbreviations and terms used

    Abbreviation Description
    BmB Letters with barcode
    DataTransfer Name of service for electronically transmitting data to Swiss Post
    DT DataTransfer
    EAD Electronic Advance Data
    PDDP Postal Delivery Duties Paid
    PKZIP 2.0 Compression standard for reducing file size. Nowadays, almost all files with the extension .zip are in PKZIP 2.0 format
    XSD XML-diagram definition: for generating and verifying the XML file

    1.5 Support

    Post CH Ltd
    Digital Integration
    Wankdorfallee 4
    3030 Berne
    Switzerland

    E-mail: digitalintegration@swisspost.ch

    Failure page: help.post.ch

    2. Technical specification

    2.1 Data submission

    The data can be transferred via a Swiss Post SFTP account. 

    Guidelines for preparing files can be found in Section 2.3. 

    To submit data via SFTP, you‘ll need a Swiss Post SFTP account. If you don’t have a Swiss Post SFTP account yet, one will be opened once you have registered.

    Instructions on importing data via SFTP can be found in this manual or obtained from DataTransfer Support. 

    2.2 File formats 

    Files are accepted in XML (UTF-16) and ZIP (PKZIP 2.0) format. See Section 3.1.1 for the file structure.

    2.2.1 Special characters in XML format

    XML files must conform to XML standards in order for DataTransfer to process them. When submitting files, this means thatthe attribute values in XML files must not contain any unencoded special characters, such as pointed brackets (<>) or speech marks (“).

    In order to send these special characters, you need to encode them using special characters that HTML will recognize. These take the following format: &[Last name];

    The following example shows you how to encode the commercial “and” sign (“&”): REC_Name1=“Moser &amp; Cie.“(Moser & Cie.)

    Here is a list of special characters and the corresponding format in which they must be submitted:

    Special characters Coding
    & &amp;
    < &lt;
    > &gt;
    “ &quot;
    ’ &apos;

    Normal umlauts may not be encoded as HTML.

    There’s an easy way to check whether your XML is well-formed and can be processed by DataTransfer: open the file in an browser (e.g. Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox). If the files are not well-formed, a corresponding error message appears.

    2.3 Naming conventions

    2.3.1 Input file names

    If you send files that do not conform to the naming convention shown below, these files will not be collected and will be automatically deleted after a specified period of time. For security reasons, you will not be notified of this. The following naming convention should therefore be strictly adhered to.

    Naming convention

    SenderID_EAD_INPUT_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS_FileID.xml

    SenderID_EAD_RcptMsg_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS_FileID.xml

    SenderID_EAD_ConfMsg_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS_FileID.xml

    The FileID of the EAD INPUT message and the corresponding BmB input file must be identical. This is the only way to easily verify the completeness of your submissions.

    Tip

    And if you also add the FileID to the SendingID element in the BmB input file, the corresponding information will be included in all reports for all consignments on this LSO

    <SendingID>1</SendingID>

    Example

    829_EAD_RcptMsg_20190708_101305_447204.xml

    Maximum file size for files to be sent

    The delivery file must be a maximum of 6 MB. If the file exceeds this size it will not be processed and you will receive an error message (max. filesize exceeded).

    3. Data content of customer interface

    3.1 Data submission for international letter mail containing goods

    3.1.1 General

    You will receive a confirmation of receipt and a processing log for each file submitted. These will both be sent to you by SFTP.

    The confirmation of receipt states whether the file has been successfully transmitted and could be recognized by DataTransfer. The “FileID” and “SenderID” fields (from the file name) and the sender status (activated) and service authorization are verified. The file is tested for parsing capability and exact conformity with the interface schema (elements and attributes). Any errors are individually listed in the processing protocol.

    The processing log indicates whether DataTransfer could process the data contained within the file. Any invalid records will be given an error code and an error description to help you identify the error. However, the processing log does not tell you anything about the quality of the address that has been submitted.

    More information on confirmations can be found in section 3.2

    3.1.2 Data structure

    A schema is provided for creating and validating the XML interface. The schema is stored as an XSD (XML-Schema-Definition) and can be invoked from the following address, or directly incorporated into the XML: Technical Support DataTransfer

    You will find the values in accordance with the XML schema in a simplified form in the following section.

    The simplified representation of the spelling is a short description. Cardinality and mandatory status are binding in the element description. A real XML example with values can be found below this section.

    <​/SendItemInfo
    xmlns
    OriginVersion>
    <​FileInfos>
    <​FileID/>
    <​FileDate/>
    <​FileTime/>
    <​/FileInfo>
    <​ItemInfo>
    <​InfoEvent>
    <​Date/>
    <​PostcodeUPU/>
    <​Source/>
    <​/InfoEvent>
    <​ItemInfoData>
    <​Barcode/>
    <​TotalValue/>
    <​TotalCurrency/>
    <​MailSourceExport/>
    <​PostagePrice/>
    <​PostageCurrency/>
    <​DeclaredGrossWeight/>
    <​NatureOfTransactionCode/>
    <​AssociatedDocumentType/>
    <​AssociatedDocumentIdentifier/>
    <​DestinationCountryIso/>
    <​DeliveryInstructions/>
    <​/ItemInfoData>
    <​Addressee>
    <​Name1/>
    <​Name2/>
    <​Name3/>
    <​Address1/>
    <​Address2/>
    <​Address3/>
    <​ZipCode/>
    <​City/>
    <​Region/>
    <​CountryIso/>
    <​Language/>
    <​Tel/>
    <​Email/>
    <​Vat/>
    <​Taxnumber/>
    <​Contact/>
    <​/Addressee>
    <​Name1/>
    <​Name2/>
    <​Name3/>
    <​Address1/>
    <​Address2/>
    <​Address3/>
    <​ZipCode/>
    <​City/>
    <​CountryIso/>
    <​Contact/>
    <​Email/>
    <​Tel/>
    <​Reference/>
    <​Vat/>
    <​Taxnumber/>
    <​IossRightToUseReference/>
    <​/Sender>
    <​ItemPosition>
    <​Position/>
    <​OriginLocation/>
    <​ProductDescription/>
    <​TariffHeading/>
    <​NetWeight/>
    <​Amount/>
    <​Value/>
    <​ValueCurrency/>
    <​MerchantProductIdentifier/>
    <​ManufacturerNonStandardizedProductIdentifier/>
    <​ManufacturerStandardizedProductIdentifier/>
    <​/ItemPosition>
    <​/ItemInfo>
    <​/SendItemInfo>

    3.1.2 XML schema / XSD

    A schema is provided for creating and validating the XML interface. The schema is stored as an XSD (XML-Schema-Definition) and can be invoked from the following address, or directly incorporated into the XML: Technical Support DataTransfer

    3.1.3 Sample XML format for international letters containing goods

    Example of an EAD DataTransfer file for EAD

    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?>
<SendItemInfo xmlns="http://www.post.ch/datatransfer/schemas/2019/02/ead" OriginVersion="11">
       <FileInfo>
              <FileID>20260910083706</FileID>
              <FileDate>20260910</FileDate>
              <FileTime>083706</FileTime>
       </FileInfo>
       <ItemInfo>
              <InfoEvent>
                     <Date>2026-09-10T08:37:06</Date>
                     <PostcodeUPU>CHZRHB</PostcodeUPU>
                     <Source>EXT</Source>
              </InfoEvent>
              <ItemInfoData>
                     <Barcode>RF115700015CH</Barcode>
                     <TotalValue>89.80</TotalValue>
                     <TotalCurrency>CHF</TotalCurrency>
                     <MailSourceExport>E02</MailSourceExport>
                     <PostagePrice>14.50</PostagePrice>
                     <PostageCurrency>CHF</PostageCurrency>
                     <DeclaredGrossWeight>0.350</DeclaredGrossWeight>
                     <NatureOfTransactionCode>2</NatureOfTransactionCode>
                     <AssociatedDocumentType>380</AssociatedDocumentType>
                     <AssociatedDocumentIdentifier>INV-2026-10482</AssociatedDocumentIdentifier>
                     <DestinationCountryIso>DE</DestinationCountryIso>
                     <DeliveryInstructions>_PDDP</DeliveryInstructions>
              </ItemInfoData>
              <Addressee>
                     <Name1>Lena Fischer</Name1>
                     <Name2>Shipping</Name2>
                     <Name3>Musterhandel GmbH</Name3>
                     <Address1>Friedrichstrasse 123</Address1>
                     <Address2>3. Obergeschoss</Address2>
                     <Address3>Appartment 24</Address3>
                     <ZipCode>10117</ZipCode>
                     <City>Berlin</City>
                     <Region>Berlin</Region>
                     <CountryIso>DE</CountryIso>
                     <Language>DEU</Language>
                     <Tel>+493012345678</Tel>
                     <Email>lena.fischer@example.com</Email>
                     <Vat>DE123456789</Vat>
                     <Taxnumber>27/123/45678</Taxnumber>
                     <Contact>Lena Fischer</Contact>
              </Addressee>
              <Sender>
                     <Name1>Alpine Optics AG</Name1>
                     <Name2>Multichannel</Name2>
                     <Name3>Online Shop</Name3>
                     <Address1>Badenerstrasse 123</Address1>
                     <Address2>Gebaeude B</Address2>
                     <Address3>Rampe 4</Address3>
                     <ZipCode>8004</ZipCode>
                     <City>Zuerich</City>
                     <CountryIso>CH</CountryIso>
                     <Contact>Daniela Meier</Contact>
                     <Email>shipping@example.com</Email>
                     <Tel>+41441234567</Tel>
                     <Reference>ORDER-2026-10482</Reference>
                     <Vat>CHE123456789MWST</Vat>
                     <Taxnumber>CHE123456789</Taxnumber>
                     <IossRightToUseReference>IM2760000001</IossRightToUseReference>
              </Sender>
              <ItemPosition>
                     <Position>1</Position>
                     <OriginLocation>CH</OriginLocation>
                     <ProductDescription>Reading glasses +1.5 black</ProductDescription>
                     <TariffHeading>90049090</TariffHeading>
                     <NetWeight>0.120</NetWeight>
                     <Amount>1</Amount>
                     <Value>69.90</Value>
                     <ValueCurrency>CHF</ValueCurrency>
                     <MerchantProductIdentifier>SKU-RG-150-BLK</MerchantProductIdentifier>
                     <ManufacturerNonStandardizedProductIdentifier>AO-READ-150-
                     BLACK</ManufacturerNonStandardizedProductIdentifier>
                     <ManufacturerStandardizedProductIdentifier>
                     7612345678900</ManufacturerStandardizedProductIdentifier>
              </ItemPosition>
              <ItemPosition>
                     <Position>2</Position>
                     <OriginLocation>CH</OriginLocation>
                     <ProductDescription>Protective glasses case</ProductDescription>
                     <TariffHeading>42023290</TariffHeading>
                     <NetWeight>0.080</NetWeight>
                     <Amount>1</Amount>
                     <Value>19.90</Value>
                     <ValueCurrency>CHF</ValueCurrency>
                     <MerchantProductIdentifier>SKU-CASE-BLK</MerchantProductIdentifier>
                     <ManufacturerNonStandardizedProductIdentifier>AO-CASE-HARD-
                     BLACK</ManufacturerNonStandardizedProductIdentifier>
                     <ManufacturerStandardizedProductIdentifier>7612345678917
                     </ManufacturerStandardizedProductIdentifier>
              </ItemPosition>
       </ItemInfo>
</SendItemInfo>

    3.2 Confirmations

    The content of these confirmations is always in English. The overview table containing all error codes and their explanations can be found at Technical DataTransfer Support.

    3.2.1 Receipt message

    The receipt message is the confirmation of receipt. DT sends this in the event of a successful acceptance. The receipt message is sent each time a delivery is made – in the event of errors, it is also sent with an <ErrorMessage> block (Type/Code/Message). The receipt message contains no content information.

    3.2.2 Confirmation message

    The confirmation message contains information as to whether the consignment data could be processed.

    Sample confirmation message

    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> 
<ns0:ConfMsg xmlns:ns0=http://www.post.ch/datatransfer/schemas/2019/02/ead>
           <ns0:FileID>200103</ns0:FileID> 
           <ns0:FileDate>20200103</ns0:FileDate> 
            <ns0:FileTime>100443</ns0:FileTime> 
            <ns0:SenderID>982</ns0:SenderID> 
            <ns0:ResponseStatus>NOK</ns0:ResponseStatus> 
            <ns0:ItemInfoStatus> 
                     <ns0:Barcode>RO995078912CH</ns0:Barcode> 
                     <ns0:Status>NOK</ns0:Status> 
                     <ns0:ErrorMessage> 
                               <ns0:Type> ERROR</ns0:Type>
                               <ns0:Code>13207</ns0:Code> 
                               <ns0:Message>invalid: Country</ns0:Message>
                               <ns0:Detail>IsoCode: IC not found.</ns0:Detail>
                      </ns0:ErrorMessage>
             </ns0:ItemInfoStatus> 
</ns0:ConfMsg>

    3.2.2 Receipt message

    The receipt message is the confirmation of receipt. DT sends this in the event of a successful acceptance. If acceptance has been unsuccessful, no response to the sender will be generated. The receipt message contains no content information.

    Sample receipt message

    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<ns0:RcptMsg xmlns:ns0=http://www.post.ch/datatransfer/schemas/2019/02/ead>
       <ns0:FileID>200103</ns0:FileID>
       <ns0:FileDate>20200103</ns0:FileDate>
       <ns0:FileTime>100443</ns0:FileTime>
       <ns0:SenderID>982</ns0:SenderID>
</ns0:RcptMsg>

    3.2.3 Error codes in the event of faulty data delivery

    An Excel list with all error codes, which may be listed in the processing protocol or in recipient confirmations, can be found at Technical DataTransfer Support (XLSX, 67 KB).

    4. Additional publications

    5. Release Notes

    5.1 Changes

    • DeliveryInstructions
    • IossRightToUseReference
    • MerchantProductIdentifier
    • ManufacturerNonStandardizedProductIdentifier
    • ManufacturerStandardizedProductIdentifier
       

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