CII-SR-001:Invalid CII namespace
CII (Cross Industry Invoice) documents must use the correct namespace declaration.
Engine Classification
Financial or legal field · Modification blocked by policy
Reason: CII (Cross Industry Invoice) documents require correct XML namespace declarations. This is a fundamental format issue that must be fixed in your invoicing software or XML generation tool. The namespace must be urn:un:unece:uncefact:data:standard:CrossIndustryInvoice:100.
What is CII-SR-001?
CII-SR-001 is a fatal validation rule defined in the cii-d16b specification. It validates the rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice namespace 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: XPath: /rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice namespace
Why This Error Matters
Incorrect namespaces prevent CII validation and processing.
CII-SR-001 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
- ·Fails CII schema validation
- ·Error returned: CII-SR-001
- ·Specification: cii-d16b
How to Fix It
Check root element
Must be rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice
Verify namespace
urn:un:unece:uncefact:data:standard:CrossIndustryInvoice:100
Add component namespaces
Include ram, udt, qdt namespaces
XML Example
Generic example based on the rule's target XPath. Your actual XML structure may differ.
<!-- Triggers validation error --> <rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice namespace></rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice namespace>
<!-- Corrected --> <rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice namespace>VALID_VALUE</rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice namespace>
Technical Reference
XPath: /rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice namespaceCode Example
<rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice
xmlns:rsm="urn:un:unece:uncefact:data:standard:CrossIndustryInvoice:100"
xmlns:ram="urn:un:unece:uncefact:data:standard:ReusableAggregateBusinessInformationEntity:100"
xmlns:udt="urn:un:unece:uncefact:data:standard:UnqualifiedDataType:100">Common Causes
- ·Wrong namespace version
- ·Missing component namespaces
- ·Typos in namespace URIs
Seeing this in production? The API handles CII-SR-001 automatically. See the fix response →
Commonly Seen In
Frequently Asked Questions
CII (Cross Industry Invoice) documents must use the correct namespace declaration.
Use the correct CII D16B namespace. You can also use Invoice Navigator's automatic Fixer tool to correct this instantly.
Yes, CII-SR-001 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 CII-SR-001 can be automatically corrected using Invoice Navigator's Fixer tool. Upload your invoice and the tool will identify and fix common issues, including invalid cii namespace.
CII-SR-001 is commonly seen in exports from ZUGFeRD generators, CII exporters. These software packages sometimes generate invoices that need adjustment to meet full compliance standards.
Related Errors
Last updated: 18 January 2026
Handle CII-SR-001 Automatically in Your Pipeline
The compliance engine auto-remediates this error with controlled safety policies and evidence pack generation.