What Is SEPA Request-to-Pay?

What exactly is SEPA Request-to-Pay?

SEPA Request-to-Pay (SRTP) is a scheme managed by the European Payments Council (EPC). Its core function can be summarised in a single sentence: it lets a creditor (payee) send a structured payment request to a debtor (payer).

The critical point to underline here is this: SRTP is NOT a payment instrument. It does not itself carry money, does not collect from an account and does not initiate the payment. SRTP is only a messaging layer — it carries the information "pay this amount, with this reference number, by this date" in a standard form. When the request is accepted, the actual movement of money is carried out with a separate SEPA transfer (for example, SCT, or SCT Inst for an instant payment). So SRTP is not the payment itself but the approved invitation that triggers the payment.

How does the SRTP flow work?

The process proceeds in a few clear steps between the creditor and the debtor:

1. Sending the request: The creditor (for example, a merchant or an invoicing institution) sends the debtor a Request-to-Pay message containing the amount, reference and, if any, the due date.
2. The debtor's decision: The debtor sees the request in their banking app and can accept, reject or defer it. Control is entirely with the debtor; no amount leaves their account without their approval.
3. The payment taking place: If the debtor accepts, a separate SEPA transfer (SCT or SCT Inst) is triggered on the basis of this approval, and the money actually moves at this stage.

In this respect, SRTP can be thought of as an "approval bridge" that separates the payment request from the actual making of the payment.

Where is it used?

Request-to-Pay suits a wide variety of scenarios based on request and approval:

• E-invoice / digital invoice: A payment request tied directly to the invoice, approvable with one tap.
• E-commerce checkout: Approval of the basket amount via the debtor's bank.
• POS / in-store payment: Request-based payment at the physical point of sale.
• Recurring payments: An alternative flow open to the debtor's approval each time, for subscriptions or regular bills.

The difference between Request-to-Pay and Direct Debit (SDD)

The place where confusion arises most often is comparing SRTP with SEPA Direct Debit (SDD). Both serve the need to "collect an invoice", but they are fundamentally different in direction and control: in SDD the money is pulled by the creditor; in SRTP the debtor approves the payment and pushes it, keeping control in their hands.

In short: in SDD "you are made to pay first, and dispute if needed"; in SRTP "approval is taken first, then it is paid". The appeal of SRTP is that it gives the debtor full control at the moment of payment and on a per-request basis.

The status and adoption of SRTP

The EPC's Request-to-Pay scheme came into force in 2021. But adoption is gradual and not automatic: for a bank or payment institution to be able to offer SRTP, it must join the scheme separately. For this reason SRTP is not present at every bank in the SEPA area; participants are listed in the EPC's relevant records separately from SCT/SDD participants. Whether a specific institution supports it must be verified from the EPC participant record and the institution's own official information.

SRTP is positioned less as a stand-alone product and more as part of a broader payment ecosystem that works together with components such as instant payments (SCT Inst) and payee verification (Verification of Payee / VoP), aiming to improve the user experience and reduce fraud. The debtor seeing and approving each request structurally limits the risk of unauthorised collection.

The situation for Turkey

Turkey is not a member of the SEPA area; it is at the application/candidate stage. For this reason, Turkish banks cannot join the SRTP scheme and do not offer a Request-to-Pay service. SRTP works only between participating payment service providers within the SEPA area. Transfers from Turkey to the eurozone today generally proceed over SWIFT and do not fall within the scope of SRTP.

Important caveat

The specific features, pricing and availability of Request-to-Pay vary by bank, payment institution and national regulation. An institution having joined the scheme does not mean the service is offered to all customers or in all scenarios. For definitive information, consult your own bank's current statements and official EPC sources; the technical explanation on this page is for informational purposes and, where it is not verified, no definitive statement has been used.