BR-FR-02:SIREN vs SIRET confusion
Fix: Use the full 14-digit SIRET instead of the 9-digit SIREN. Provide the required value in the free validator.
SIREN (9 digits) identifies the company, SIRET (14 digits) identifies the specific establishment. French e-invoices require the full 14-digit SIRET.
Engine Classification
Business data required · Explicit input workflow · No assumptions made
Required input: Full SIRET Number (not SIREN)
What is BR-FR-02?
BR-FR-02 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 rejected by Peppol access points and never reaches the buyer.
Target path: XPath: /Invoice/cac:AccountingSupplierParty/cac:Party/cac:PartyLegalEntity/cbc:CompanyID[@schemeID="0009"]
Why This Error Matters
Invalid SIRET format will cause rejection by French government systems. The Luhn checksum algorithm is used to validate SIRET numbers.
BR-FR-02 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 PEPPOL Access Points
- ·Rejected by Chorus Pro
- ·Error returned: BR-FR-02
- ·Specification: peppol-bis-3
How to Fix It
XML Example
Generic example based on the rule's target XPath. Your actual XML structure may differ.
<!-- Missing or empty element triggers cbc:CompanyID error --> <cbc:CompanyID></cbc:CompanyID>
<!-- Provide the required value --> <cbc:CompanyID>VALID_VALUE</cbc:CompanyID>
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
- ·Using 9-digit SIREN instead of 14-digit SIRET
- ·Confusion between company and establishment identifiers
Seeing this in production? The API handles BR-FR-02 automatically. See the fix response →
Commonly Seen In
Frequently Asked Questions
SIREN (9 digits) identifies the company, SIRET (14 digits) identifies the specific establishment. French e-invoices require the full 14-digit SIRET.
Use the full 14-digit SIRET instead of the 9-digit SIREN. Invoice Navigator detects this error and prompts for the required business data before applying a safe fix.
Yes, BR-FR-02 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.
BR-FR-02 requires specific business data to resolve. Invoice Navigator detects the error and guides you through providing the needed information, then applies the fix with full audit documentation.
BR-FR-02 is commonly seen in exports from All invoicing software. These software packages sometimes generate invoices that need adjustment to meet full compliance standards.
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Last updated: 3 March 2026
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