BR-DE-15
XRechnung requires a buyer reference — for German public-sector receivers this is the Leitweg-ID.
Why it happens
The field is optional in EN 16931, so most accounting exports omit it. This is the single most common XRechnung failure on files converted from ordinary invoice data.
How to fix it
Set cbc:BuyerReference (UBL) or ram:BuyerReference (CII). The value comes from your customer — for public-sector invoices it is the Leitweg-ID they issued you, and an invoice without it will be rejected regardless of validation.
The official rule
XRechnung, official German wordingDas Element "Buyer reference" (BT-10) muss übermittelt werden.
Our English rendering: The element "Buyer reference" (BT-10) must be provided.
Technical detail — where the rule is evaluated and the exact test
| Syntax | Context and assertion |
|---|---|
| UBL | /ubl:Invoice | /cn:CreditNote |
cbc:BuyerReference[boolean(normalize-space(.))] | |
| CII | /rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice |
rsm:SupplyChainTradeTransaction/ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeAgreement/ram:BuyerReference[boolean(normalize-space(.))] |
Check your own invoice
Paste or drop your UBL or CII file into the free validator. It runs the official EN 16931 ruleset plus the German XRechnung layer and lists every rule that fires, BR-DE-15 included — no signup, no limit.
Validate an e-invoice freeFixing the data at source instead? The CSV converter builds a compliant invoice from a spreadsheet export.