BR-61:If the Payment means type code (BT-81) means SEPA credit transfer, the...
If the Payment means type code (BT-81) means SEPA credit transfer, the Payment account identifier (BT-84) shall be an IBAN.. This applies to the `cbc:PaymentMeansCode` element in the invoice XML.
Engine Classification
Financial or legal field · Modification blocked by policy
Reason: Bank account details cannot be auto-filled due to fraud risk. Must be provided by invoice issuer.
What is BR-61?
BR-61 is a fatal validation rule defined in the EN 16931 specification. It validates the IdentificationCode element under Item > OriginCountry 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: //cac:Item/cac:OriginCountry/cbc:IdentificationCode
Why This Error Matters
Invoice rejected. Credit transfers require a destination account number for payment.
BR-61 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-61
- ·Specification: EN 16931
How to Fix It
Find origin country
Locate OriginCountry element
Use ISO code
2 uppercase letters like DE, FR, IT
Before / After
<cac:PaymentMeans> <cbc:PaymentMeansCode>INVALID_CODE</cbc:PaymentMeansCode> </cac:PaymentMeans>
<cac:PaymentMeans> <cbc:PaymentMeansCode>VALID_CODE</cbc:PaymentMeansCode> </cac:PaymentMeans>
Technical Reference
XPath: //cac:Item/cac:OriginCountry/cbc:IdentificationCodeCommon Causes
- ·Credit transfer payment means without account ID
- ·SEPA/bank transfer missing IBAN or account number
- ·PaymentMeansCode 30/31/58 without PayeeFinancialAccount
- ·Bank details section incomplete in source
- ·Account identifier stored in separate system
Seeing this in production? The API handles BR-61 automatically. See the fix response →
Frequently Asked Questions
Country of origin must use ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
Use 2-letter ISO country code (DE, FR, NL, etc.). You can also use Invoice Navigator's automatic Fixer tool to correct this instantly.
Yes, BR-61 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-61 can be automatically corrected using Invoice Navigator's Fixer tool. Upload your invoice and the tool will identify and fix common issues, including country of origin must use iso code.
See Also
Related Errors
Last updated: 27 February 2026
Handle BR-61 Automatically in Your Pipeline
The compliance engine auto-remediates this error with controlled safety policies and evidence pack generation.