errorDEUXRechnung (Germany)

BR-DE-31:SEPA debtor account required

SEPA direct debit requires debtor IBAN.

Severity
Fatal
Rule set
XRechnung (Germany)
Country
DEU
Fix type
BLOCKED

Engine Classification

Financial or legal field · Modification blocked by policy

Reason: SEPA debtor account must be provided by the buyer. This information cannot be automatically determined.

What is BR-DE-31?

BR-DE-31 is a fatal validation rule defined in the XRechnung (Germany) specification (DEU national rules). It validates the ID element under PaymentMandate > PayerFinancialAccount 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: /Invoice/cac:PaymentMeans/cac:PaymentMandate/cac:PayerFinancialAccount/cbc:ID

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

Why This Error Matters

Invoice will be rejected by XRechnung validation. Without the debited account IBAN, SEPA direct debit cannot be executed - banks need to know which account to collect from.

BR-DE-31 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
  • ·Rejected by XRechnung endpoints
  • ·Error returned: BR-DE-31
  • ·Specification: XRechnung (Germany)

How to Fix It

1.

Add debtor account

PayerFinancialAccount/ID

2.

Use IBAN

Valid IBAN of the debtor

Before / After

Failing XML
<Invoice>
  <!-- Issue: German SEPA direct debit requires buyer bank account. -->
</Invoice>
Corrected XML
<Invoice>
  <!-- Issue resolved per XRechnung (Germany) -->
</Invoice>

Technical Reference

XPathXPath: /Invoice/cac:PaymentMeans/cac:PaymentMandate/cac:PayerFinancialAccount/cbc:ID
SpecXRechnung (Germany)
StrategyBLOCKED: Buyer's bank account (IBAN) is sensitive financial data requiring proper authorization. We cannot generate or guess IBANs - this must come from verified buyer banking information in the source system.

Common Causes

  • ·Direct debit selected but buyer IBAN not provided
  • ·IBAN stored in customer master data not linked to invoice
  • ·Buyer has not provided their bank details for direct debit
  • ·ERP system does not populate IBAN on invoice automatically
  • ·Privacy settings prevent IBAN from being included

Seeing this in production? The API handles BR-DE-31 automatically. See the fix response →

Frequently Asked Questions

SEPA direct debit requires debtor IBAN.

Add debtor IBAN to PaymentMandate. You can also use Invoice Navigator's automatic Fixer tool to correct this instantly.

Yes, BR-DE-31 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-DE-31 can be automatically corrected using Invoice Navigator's Fixer tool. Upload your invoice and the tool will identify and fix common issues, including sepa debtor account required.

Related Errors

BR-DE-30

SEPA creditor identifier required

Last updated: 27 February 2026

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