BR-AF-05:When an invoice line uses the IGIC VAT category, the VAT rate must be 0% or...
Fix: 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).
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.
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.
When this rule fires, the invoice is rejected by Peppol access points and never reaches the buyer.
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 — the invoice must be corrected and re-sent before it can reach the recipient.
Validator Behavior
- ·Causes invoice rejection
- ·Error returned: BR-AF-05
- ·Specification: EN 16931
How to Fix It
Identify the issue in your invoice
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.
Correct this in your invoicing software
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).
Re-export and validate
Generate a new invoice export from your accounting system and re-validate to confirm BR-AF-05 is resolved.
Before / After
<Invoice> <!-- Issue: In an Invoice line where the VAT category code is IGIC, the --> </Invoice>
<Invoice> <!-- Issue resolved per EN 16931 --> </Invoice>
Technical Reference
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 →
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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.
Yes, BR-AF-05 is a critical error that will cause invoice rejection. It must be fixed before submission.
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.
Related Content
Last updated: 14 April 2026
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