errorEN 16931

BR-06:Invoice must have seller name

An Invoice shall contain the Seller name (BT-27). This is the trading name or legal name of the seller/supplier.

Severity
Fatal
Rule set
EN 16931
Country
All EU
Fix type
INPUT REQUIRED
Category
party_info

Engine Classification

Business data required · Explicit input workflow · No assumptions made

Required input: Seller Name

What is BR-06?

BR-06 is a fatal validation rule defined in the EN 16931 specification. It validates the RegistrationName element under Party > PartyLegalEntity in the UBL invoice XML.

When this rule fires, the invoice is non-compliant and will be rejected by Peppol access points and national validation services. The sending system receives a rejection response and the invoice does not reach the buyer.

Target path: XPath: /Invoice/cac:AccountingCustomerParty/cac:Party/cac:PartyLegalEntity/cbc:RegistrationName

Why This Error Matters

Invoice rejected. Buyer cannot identify who they are paying, and the invoice is legally invalid.

BR-06 is a hard failure. Invoices that trigger this rule are rejected at the access point and never reach the recipient. In Peppol networks, this means your sending system receives an MLR (Message Level Response) with a rejection status. The invoice must be corrected and re-sent, adding delay to your payment cycle.

Validator Behavior

  • ·Causes invoice rejection
  • ·Error returned: BR-06
  • ·Specification: EN 16931

How to Fix It

1.

Use legal name

This should be the customer's official registered company name

2.

Add to PartyLegalEntity

Insert RegistrationName element under the customer party

3.

Verify with customer

Ensure the name matches their business registration

Before / After

Failing XML
<cac:PartyName><cbc:Name></cbc:Name></cac:PartyName>
Corrected XML
<cac:PartyName><cbc:Name>ACME Corporation B.V.</cbc:Name></cac:PartyName>

Technical Reference

XPathXPath: /Invoice/cac:AccountingCustomerParty/cac:Party/cac:PartyLegalEntity/cbc:RegistrationName
SpecEN 16931
StrategyRequires user to provide seller legal name

Code Example

<cac:AccountingCustomerParty>\n  <cac:Party>\n    <cac:PartyLegalEntity>\n      <cbc:RegistrationName>Customer Corp GmbH</cbc:RegistrationName>\n    </cac:PartyLegalEntity>\n  </cac:Party>\n</cac:AccountingCustomerParty>

Common Causes

  • ·Company profile incomplete in source accounting system
  • ·Seller party details not configured in export settings
  • ·Template missing PartyName/Name mapping for seller
  • ·Multi-entity system didn't select which company is seller
  • ·Legal name field empty while trade name was filled

Seeing this in production? The API handles BR-06 automatically. See the fix response →

Commonly Seen In

All invoicing software

Frequently Asked Questions

The invoice must contain the legal name of the buyer/customer.

Add the buyer's legal registered name. You can also use Invoice Navigator's automatic Fixer tool to correct this instantly.

Yes, BR-06 is a critical error that will cause invoice rejection. It must be fixed before submission to ensure your invoice is accepted by the recipient's system.

Many instances of BR-06 can be automatically corrected using Invoice Navigator's Fixer tool. Upload your invoice and the tool will identify and fix common issues, including invoice must have buyer name.

BR-06 is commonly seen in exports from All invoicing software. These software packages sometimes generate invoices that need adjustment to meet full compliance standards.

See Also

Related Errors

Last updated: 27 February 2026

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