errorEN 16931

BR-07:Invoice must have buyer name

An Invoice shall contain the Buyer name (BT-44). This is the trading name or legal name of the buyer/customer.

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: Buyer Name

What is BR-07?

BR-07 is a fatal validation rule defined in the EN 16931 specification. It validates the PostalAddress element under AccountingSupplierParty > Party 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:AccountingSupplierParty/cac:Party/cac:PostalAddress

Why This Error Matters

Invoice rejected. The recipient cannot verify they are the intended buyer, and the invoice is legally invalid.

BR-07 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-07
  • ·Specification: EN 16931

How to Fix It

1.

Add PostalAddress element

Under AccountingSupplierParty/Party

2.

Include country code

Add cac:Country/cbc:IdentificationCode with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code

3.

Add street and city

Include StreetName, CityName, and PostalZone as applicable

Before / After

Failing XML
<cac:PartyName><cbc:Name></cbc:Name></cac:PartyName>
Corrected XML
<cac:PartyName><cbc:Name>Customer GmbH</cbc:Name></cac:PartyName>

Technical Reference

XPathXPath: /Invoice/cac:AccountingSupplierParty/cac:Party/cac:PostalAddress
SpecEN 16931
StrategyRequires user to provide buyer legal name

Code Example

<cac:PostalAddress>
  <cbc:StreetName>123 Business Street</cbc:StreetName>
  <cbc:CityName>Amsterdam</cbc:CityName>
  <cbc:PostalZone>1012 AB</cbc:PostalZone>
  <cac:Country>
    <cbc:IdentificationCode>NL</cbc:IdentificationCode>
  </cac:Country>
</cac:PostalAddress>

Common Causes

  • ·Customer record incomplete in source system
  • ·Buyer party details not mapped in export template
  • ·Customer name field empty in sales order
  • ·B2B transaction created without full customer setup
  • ·One-time customer invoice without name entry

Seeing this in production? The API handles BR-07 automatically. See the fix response →

Commonly Seen In

All invoicing software

Frequently Asked Questions

The seller (supplier) party must include a postal address with at least country code.

Add a complete postal address for the seller including country code. You can also use Invoice Navigator's automatic Fixer tool to correct this instantly.

Yes, BR-07 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-07 can be automatically corrected using Invoice Navigator's Fixer tool. Upload your invoice and the tool will identify and fix common issues, including seller must have postal address.

BR-07 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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