BR-CO-09:VAT number is missing the country code
A VAT identification number in this invoice does not start with a valid two-letter country code. European VAT numbers must be prefixed with the country code (e.g. DE for Germany, NL for the Netherlands, SE for Sweden). Greece may use EL instead of GR.
Engine Classification
Derives the country code from the party postal address and prepends it to the VAT number
Confidence: 90% · Applied automatically in pipeline
What is BR-CO-09?
BR-CO-09 is a fatal validation rule defined in the EN 16931 specification. It validates the CompanyID element 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: cac:PartyTaxScheme/cbc:CompanyID
Why This Error Matters
VAT identifiers must include the country prefix so receiving systems can identify which country's tax authority issued the VAT number. Without the prefix, cross-border VAT validation fails and tax compliance cannot be verified.
BR-CO-09 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.
Invoice Navigator can automatically correct this error in your pipeline. The fix is applied with full audit evidence, so your compliance trail remains intact.
Validator Behavior
- ·Causes invoice rejection
- ·Error returned: BR-CO-09
- ·Specification: EN 16931
How to Fix It
Check the VAT number format
A valid EU VAT number starts with a two-letter country code followed by digits. For example: DE123456789, NL123456789B01, SE556789012301.
Add the country prefix
If the VAT number is just digits (like 123456789), add the correct country code prefix based on where the company is registered.
Verify with VIES
Check the complete VAT number on the EU VIES website to confirm it is valid.
Before / After
<cac:PartyTaxScheme>\n <cbc:CompanyID>123456789B01</cbc:CompanyID>\n <cac:TaxScheme>\n <cbc:ID>VAT</cbc:ID>\n </cac:TaxScheme>\n</cac:PartyTaxScheme>
<cac:PartyTaxScheme>\n <cbc:CompanyID>NL123456789B01</cbc:CompanyID>\n <cac:TaxScheme>\n <cbc:ID>VAT</cbc:ID>\n </cac:TaxScheme>\n</cac:PartyTaxScheme>
Technical Reference
cac:PartyTaxScheme/cbc:CompanyIDCode Example
<cac:PartyTaxScheme>\n <cbc:CompanyID>NL123456789B01</cbc:CompanyID>\n <cac:TaxScheme>\n <cbc:ID>VAT</cbc:ID>\n </cac:TaxScheme>\n</cac:PartyTaxScheme>Common Causes
- ·VAT number entered without country prefix (123456789 instead of DE123456789)
- ·ERP system stores VAT number without the country code
- ·Greek VAT uses GR but should use EL in invoices
Seeing this in production? The API handles BR-CO-09 automatically. See the fix response →
Commonly Seen In
Frequently Asked Questions
BR-CO-09 occurs when a VAT identifier does not start with a valid ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country prefix (e.g., NL, DE, FR). The seller and/or tax representative VAT number must begin with the country code.
Add the 2-letter country prefix to the VAT identifier. For example, change 123456789B01 to NL123456789B01 for a Dutch VAT number.
Yes, BR-CO-09 is a business rule violation that will cause invoice rejection. VAT identifiers must include the country prefix for proper tax authority validation.
In some cases. Invoice Navigator can add the country prefix based on the seller address country code, but manual verification is recommended for tax identifiers.
See Also
Related Errors
Last updated: 27 February 2026
Handle BR-CO-09 Automatically in Your Pipeline
The compliance engine auto-remediates this error with controlled safety policies and evidence pack generation.