How do I fix BR-AF-05?

Review your Invoice XML structure and correct the issue described by this rule. Check relevant cbc: and cac: elements per EN 16931 (BR-AF-05). You can also use Invoice Navigator's compliance engine to correct this automatically in your pipeline.

Is BR-AF-05 a critical error?

Yes, BR-AF-05 is a critical error that will cause invoice rejection. It must be fixed before submission.

Can BR-AF-05 be automatically fixed?

Many instances of BR-AF-05 can be automatically corrected using Invoice Navigator's compliance engine. The fix is applied in your pipeline with full audit evidence.

errorEN 16931

`BR-AF-05`:When an invoice line uses the IGIC VAT category, the VAT rate must be 0% or...

When an invoice line uses the IGIC VAT category, the VAT rate must be 0% or greater (never negative). IGIC has various rate tiers including 0% for certain goods.

Severity

Fatal

Rule set

EN 16931

Country

All EU

Fix type

BLOCKED

Engine Classification

Financial or legal field · Modification blocked by policy

Reason: IGIC (Canary Islands) tax rates must be verified against current legislation. Rates vary by product category and require business judgment.

What is BR-AF-05?

BR-AF-05 is a fatal validation rule defined in the EN 16931 specification. It checks whether when an invoice line uses the igic vat category, the vat rate must be 0% or....

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.

This error requires manual correction — financial fields are protected by policy.Test This Error ↓

Why This Error Matters

Invoice will be rejected by validation. IGIC rates must be zero or positive - negative rates are not valid.

BR-AF-05 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-AF-05
·Specification: EN 16931

Before / After

Failing XML

<Invoice>
  <!-- Issue: In an Invoice line where the VAT category code is IGIC, the  -->
</Invoice>

Corrected XML

<Invoice>
  <!-- Issue resolved per EN 16931 -->
</Invoice>

Technical Reference

SpecEN 16931

StrategyBLOCKED: Cannot determine the correct IGIC rate. User must verify the intended rate for this product/service in Canary Islands. Rates vary from 0% to 15% depending on category.

Common Causes

·Negative VAT rate entered for IGIC line
·Data entry error with minus sign
·Import from system with different rate conventions
·Calculation error produced negative rate
·Manual override with invalid value

Seeing this in production? The API handles BR-AF-05 automatically. See the fix response →

Handle BR-AF-05 Automatically in Your Pipeline

The compliance engine auto-remediates this error with controlled safety policies and evidence pack generation.

Get API Access View API Documentation

BR-AF-05:When an invoice line uses the IGIC VAT category, the VAT rate must be 0% or...