BR-11:Buyer country code is mandatory
The Buyer postal address (BG-8) shall contain a Buyer country code (BT-55) using ISO 3166-1 alpha-2.
Engine Classification
Business data required · Explicit input workflow · No assumptions made
Required input: Tax Exclusive Amount
What is BR-11?
BR-11 is a fatal validation rule defined in the EN 16931 specification. It validates the TaxExclusiveAmount element under Invoice > LegalMonetaryTotal 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:LegalMonetaryTotal/cbc:TaxExclusiveAmount
Why This Error Matters
Invoice rejected. Buyer country is mandatory for VAT determination, especially for cross-border transactions.
BR-11 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-11
- ·Specification: EN 16931
How to Fix It
Calculate sum
Sum all InvoiceLine/LineExtensionAmount values
Add allowances/charges
Add document-level charges, subtract allowances
Set element
Place in TaxExclusiveAmount with currency
Before / After
<cac:PostalAddress><cac:Country><cbc:IdentificationCode></cbc:IdentificationCode></cac:Country></cac:PostalAddress>
<cac:PostalAddress><cac:Country><cbc:IdentificationCode>DE</cbc:IdentificationCode></cac:Country></cac:PostalAddress>
Technical Reference
XPath: /Invoice/cac:LegalMonetaryTotal/cbc:TaxExclusiveAmountCode Example
<cac:LegalMonetaryTotal>
<cbc:LineExtensionAmount currencyID="EUR">1000.00</cbc:LineExtensionAmount>
<cbc:TaxExclusiveAmount currencyID="EUR">1000.00</cbc:TaxExclusiveAmount>
<cbc:TaxInclusiveAmount currencyID="EUR">1210.00</cbc:TaxInclusiveAmount>
<cbc:PayableAmount currencyID="EUR">1210.00</cbc:PayableAmount>
</cac:LegalMonetaryTotal>Common Causes
- ·Customer address entered without country selection
- ·Country stored as full name not ISO code
- ·Export template missing buyer country code mapping
- ·Domestic customers assumed to be same country
- ·Country field not mandatory in source customer form
Seeing this in production? The API handles BR-11 automatically. See the fix response →
Commonly Seen In
Frequently Asked Questions
The invoice must contain the sum of all line amounts before VAT (TaxExclusiveAmount).
Add TaxExclusiveAmount to LegalMonetaryTotal. You can also use Invoice Navigator's automatic Fixer tool to correct this instantly.
Yes, BR-11 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-11 can be automatically corrected using Invoice Navigator's Fixer tool. Upload your invoice and the tool will identify and fix common issues, including invoice total without vat required.
BR-11 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
Handle BR-11 Automatically in Your Pipeline
The compliance engine auto-remediates this error with controlled safety policies and evidence pack generation.