BR-FR-01:SIRET number format
French invoices must include SIRET (14 digits) with schemeID="0009" for company identification. SIRET is mandatory for all French business invoices.
Engine Classification
Business data required · Explicit input workflow · No assumptions made
Required input: SIRET Number
What is BR-FR-01?
BR-FR-01 is a fatal validation rule defined in the peppol-bis-3 specification (FRA national rules). It validates the CompanyID element under Party > PartyLegalEntity 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:AccountingSupplierParty/cac:Party/cac:PartyLegalEntity/cbc:CompanyID[@schemeID="0009"]
Why This Error Matters
French tax authorities (DGFiP) require SIRET for all B2B invoices. Without it, your invoice may be rejected by Chorus Pro or your customer's AP system.
BR-FR-01 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 PEPPOL Access Points
- ·Rejected by Chorus Pro
- ·Error returned: BR-FR-01
- ·Specification: peppol-bis-3
How to Fix It
Before / After
<cac:AccountingSupplierParty>
<cac:Party>
<cac:PartyLegalEntity>
<cbc:RegistrationName>French Company SARL</cbc:RegistrationName>
</cac:PartyLegalEntity>
</cac:Party>
</cac:AccountingSupplierParty><cac:AccountingSupplierParty>
<cac:Party>
<cac:PartyLegalEntity>
<cbc:RegistrationName>French Company SARL</cbc:RegistrationName>
<cbc:CompanyID schemeID="0002">12345678901234</cbc:CompanyID>
</cac:PartyLegalEntity>
</cac:Party>
</cac:AccountingSupplierParty>Technical Reference
XPath: /Invoice/cac:AccountingSupplierParty/cac:Party/cac:PartyLegalEntity/cbc:CompanyID[@schemeID="0009"]Code Example
<cbc:CompanyID schemeID="0009">12345678901234</cbc:CompanyID>Common Causes
- ·SIRET entered with spaces or dots
- ·Missing schemeID attribute
- ·Using SIREN (9 digits) instead of SIRET (14 digits)
Seeing this in production? The API handles BR-FR-01 automatically. See the fix response →
ERP-Specific Causes
Commonly Seen In
Frequently Asked Questions
French invoices must include SIRET (14 digits) with schemeID="0009" for company identification. SIRET is mandatory for all French business invoices.
Format the SIRET as 14 digits with the correct scheme identifier. You can also use Invoice Navigator's automatic Fixer tool to correct this instantly.
Yes, BR-FR-01 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-FR-01 can be automatically corrected using Invoice Navigator's Fixer tool. Upload your invoice and the tool will identify and fix common issues, including siret number format.
BR-FR-01 is commonly seen in exports from SAP, Sage, QuickBooks, Odoo, Cegid. These software packages sometimes generate invoices that need adjustment to meet full compliance standards.
Related Errors
Last updated: 18 January 2026
Handle BR-FR-01 Automatically in Your Pipeline
The compliance engine auto-remediates this error with controlled safety policies and evidence pack generation.