BR-DE-20:The Debited Account (BT-91) should contain a valid IBAN for SEPA direct...
Fix: Review your Invoice XML structure and correct the issue described by this rule. Check relevant cbc: and cac: elements per XRechnung (Germany) (BR-DE-20).
The Debited Account (BT-91) should contain a valid IBAN for SEPA direct debit. The current value doesn't match IBAN format.
Engine Classification
Financial or legal field · Modification blocked by policy
Reason: German IBAN format is strictly validated. Please verify your bank account details with your financial institution.
What is BR-DE-20?
BR-DE-20 is a fatal validation rule defined in the XRechnung (Germany) specification (DEU national rules).
When this rule fires, the invoice is rejected by Peppol access points and never reaches the buyer.
Why This Error Matters
Invoice rejected. SEPA direct debits require valid IBANs.
BR-DE-20 is a hard failure — the invoice must be corrected and re-sent before it can reach the recipient.
Validator Behavior
- ·Causes invoice rejection
- ·Rejected by XRechnung endpoints
- ·Error returned: BR-DE-20
- ·Specification: XRechnung (Germany)
How to Fix It
Identify the issue in your invoice
The Debited Account (BT-91) should contain a valid IBAN for SEPA direct debit. The current value doesn't match IBAN format.
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 XRechnung (Germany) (BR-DE-20).
Re-export and validate
Generate a new invoice export from your accounting system and re-validate to confirm BR-DE-20 is resolved.
Before / After
<Invoice> <!-- Issue: German SEPA direct debit requires valid IBAN for debited acc --> </Invoice>
<Invoice> <!-- Issue resolved per XRechnung (Germany) --> </Invoice>
Technical Reference
Common Causes
- ·Debited account is not valid IBAN for SEPA
- ·BT-91 contains invalid IBAN for direct debit
- ·German direct debit requires valid debtor IBAN
- ·PaymentMandate account not valid IBAN format
- ·FinancialAccount/ID fails IBAN validation
Seeing this in production? The API handles BR-DE-20 automatically. See the fix response →
Frequently Asked Questions
The Debited Account (BT-91) should contain a valid IBAN for SEPA direct debit. The current value doesn't match IBAN format.
Review your Invoice XML structure and correct the issue described by this rule. Check relevant cbc: and cac: elements per XRechnung (Germany) (BR-DE-20). You can also use Invoice Navigator's compliance engine to correct this automatically in your pipeline.
Yes, BR-DE-20 is a critical error that will cause invoice rejection. It must be fixed before submission.
Many instances of BR-DE-20 can be automatically corrected using Invoice Navigator's compliance engine. The fix is applied in your pipeline with full audit evidence.
Related Errors
Related Content
Last updated: 14 April 2026
Validate your invoice
Drop your XML here to check for BR-DE-20
Detect BR-DE-20 before submission
This error involves a financial field that can't be auto-modified. We'll flag it with a clear diagnosis so you can fix it at the source.