DE-R-005:Seller contact name required (XRechnung)
Fix: This requires user input to resolve. Provide the correct value for `cbc:Name` (BT-41). Provide the required value in the free validator.
German XRechnung invoices must include a contact person name (BT-41) in the Seller Contact group (BG-6).
Engine Classification
Business data required · Explicit input workflow · No assumptions made
Required input: Contact Person Name
What is DE-R-005?
DE-R-005 is a fatal validation rule defined in the EN 16931 specification (DEU national rules).
When this rule fires, the invoice is rejected by Peppol access points and never reaches the buyer.
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-005 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 XRechnung endpoints
- ·Error returned: DE-R-005
- ·Specification: EN 16931
How to Fix It
Identify the missing data
German XRechnung invoices must include a contact person name (BT-41) in the Seller Contact group (BG-6).
Provide the required value
This requires user input to resolve. Provide the correct value for `cbc:Name` (BT-41).
Re-validate your invoice
Upload the corrected invoice to confirm DE-R-005 is resolved.
Before / After
<cac:Contact> <cbc:Name><!-- invalid or missing value --></cbc:Name> </cac:Contact>
<cac:Contact> <cbc:Name>correct-value</cbc:Name> </cac:Contact>
Technical Reference
Common Causes
- ·German invoice missing seller contact point
- ·BT-41 Seller contact point not provided
- ·cbc:Name in seller contact empty or absent
- ·Contact person name required for XRechnung
- ·German public sector needs named contact
Seeing this in production? The API handles DE-R-005 automatically. See the fix response →
Frequently Asked Questions
German XRechnung invoices must include a contact person name (BT-41) in the Seller Contact group (BG-6).
This requires user input to resolve. Provide the correct value for `cbc:Name` (BT-41). You can also use Invoice Navigator's compliance engine to correct this automatically in your pipeline.
Yes, DE-R-005 is a critical error that will cause invoice rejection. It must be fixed before submission.
Many instances of DE-R-005 can be automatically corrected using Invoice Navigator's compliance engine. The fix is applied in your pipeline with full audit evidence.
Related Content
Last updated: 14 April 2026
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