How do I fix DE-R-008?

Invoice Navigator automatically fixes this issue by correcting the `cbc:BuyerReference` element in your Invoice. You can also use Invoice Navigator's compliance engine to correct this automatically in your pipeline.

Is DE-R-008 a critical error?

Yes, DE-R-008 is a critical error that will cause invoice rejection. It must be fixed before submission.

Can DE-R-008 be automatically fixed?

Many instances of DE-R-008 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-008`:The element "Buyer city" (BT-52) shall be provided.

Buyer city is missing. German invoices must include the buyer's city in the address (BT-52).

Severity

Fatal

Rule set

EN 16931

Country

DEU

Fix type

AUTO-FIX

Confidence

80%

Engine Classification

Add default payment means code for XRechnung compliance

Confidence: 80% · Applied automatically in pipeline

What is DE-R-008?

DE-R-008 is a fatal validation rule defined in the EN 16931 specification (DEU national rules). It validates the PaymentMeansCode 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: //cac:PaymentMeans/cbc:PaymentMeansCode

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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-008 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.

Invoice Navigator can automatically correct this error in your pipeline. The fix is applied with full audit evidence, so your compliance trail remains intact.

Validator Behavior

·Causes invoice rejection
·Rejected by XRechnung endpoints
·Error returned: DE-R-008
·Specification: EN 16931

Before / After

Failing XML

<Invoice>
  <cbc:BuyerReference><!-- invalid or missing value --></cbc:BuyerReference>
</Invoice>

Corrected XML

<Invoice>
  <cbc:BuyerReference>correct-value</cbc:BuyerReference>
</Invoice>

Technical Reference

XPath//cac:PaymentMeans/cbc:PaymentMeansCode

SpecEN 16931

Operationset_default

StrategyAdd default payment means code for XRechnung compliance

Common Causes

·German invoice missing buyer city
·BT-52 Buyer city element empty or absent
·cbc:CityName in buyer address not provided
·Buyer postal address incomplete for XRechnung
·German validation requires full buyer address

Seeing this in production? The API handles DE-R-008 automatically. See the fix response →

Related Errors

DE-R-015

Buyer reference required (German)

Last updated: 27 February 2026

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Handle DE-R-008 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-008:The element "Buyer city" (BT-52) shall be provided.