How do I fix DE-R-003?

This requires user input to resolve. Provide the correct value for BT-37. Review the relevant cbc: and cac: elements in your Invoice XML. You can also use Invoice Navigator's compliance engine to correct this automatically in your pipeline.

Is DE-R-003 a critical error?

Yes, DE-R-003 is a critical error that will cause invoice rejection. It must be fixed before submission.

Can DE-R-003 be automatically fixed?

Many instances of DE-R-003 can be automatically corrected using Invoice Navigator's compliance engine. The fix is applied in your pipeline with full audit evidence.

errorDEUEN 16931

`DE-R-003`:The element "Seller city" (BT-37) shall be provided.

Seller city is missing. German invoices must include the seller's city in the address (BT-37).

Severity

Fatal

Rule set

EN 16931

Country

DEU

Fix type

INPUT REQUIRED

Confidence

85%

Engine Classification

Business data required · Explicit input workflow · No assumptions made

Required input: Leitweg-ID

What is DE-R-003?

DE-R-003 is a fatal validation rule defined in the EN 16931 specification (DEU national rules). It validates the BuyerReference 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: /Invoice/cbc:BuyerReference

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Why This Error Matters

Invoice will be rejected by German XRechnung validators. Germany has additional mandatory fields beyond EN16931 baseline, including seller contact details, complete addresses, and buyer reference (Leitweg-ID).

DE-R-003 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: DE-R-003
·Specification: EN 16931

Before / After

Failing XML

<Invoice>
  <!-- Issue: The element Seller city (BT-37) shall be provided. -->
</Invoice>

Corrected XML

<Invoice>
  <!-- Issue resolved per EN 16931 -->
</Invoice>

Technical Reference

XPath/Invoice/cbc:BuyerReference

SpecEN 16931

Operationset_value

StrategySet correct Leitweg-ID format for XRechnung (requires user input)

Common Causes

·German invoice missing seller city
·BT-37 Seller city element empty or absent
·cbc:CityName in seller address not provided
·Seller postal address incomplete for XRechnung
·German validation requires full seller address

Seeing this in production? The API handles DE-R-003 automatically. See the fix response →

Handle DE-R-003 Automatically in Your Pipeline

The compliance engine auto-remediates this error with controlled safety policies and evidence pack generation.

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DE-R-003:The element "Seller city" (BT-37) shall be provided.