errorbusinessDEUEN 16931

DE-R-011:The element "Deliver to post code" (BT-78) shall be provided if the group...

Fix: This requires user input to resolve. Provide the correct value for `cac:Address` (BT-78). Provide the required value in the free validator.

Delivery postal code is missing. When a delivery address is provided in German invoices, the delivery postal code (BT-78) is required.

Severity
Fatal
Rule set
EN 16931
Country
DEU
Fix type
INPUT REQUIRED
Confidence
85%
Category
structural

Engine Classification

Business data required · Explicit input workflow · No assumptions made

Required input: Seller email

What is DE-R-011?

DE-R-011 is a fatal validation rule defined in the EN 16931 specification (DEU national rules). It validates the ElectronicMail element under Party > Contact in the UBL invoice XML.

When this rule fires, the invoice is rejected by Peppol access points and never reaches the buyer.

Target path: //cac:AccountingSupplierParty/cac:Party/cac:Contact/cbc:ElectronicMail

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-011 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-011
  • ·Specification: EN 16931

How to Fix It

1.

Locate the field

Check cbc:ElectronicMail at //cac:AccountingSupplierParty/cac:Party/cac:Contact/cbc:ElectronicMail. The current value does not meet the rule requirements for DE-R-011.

2.

Set the correct value

This requires user input to resolve. Provide the correct value for `cac:Address` (BT-78).

3.

Re-validate your invoice

Upload the corrected invoice to confirm DE-R-011 is resolved.

Before / After

Failing XML
<cac:DeliveryLocation>
  <cac:Address>INVALID_CODE</cac:Address>
</cac:DeliveryLocation>
Corrected XML
<cac:DeliveryLocation>
  <cac:Address>VALID_CODE</cac:Address>
</cac:DeliveryLocation>

Technical Reference

XPath//cac:AccountingSupplierParty/cac:Party/cac:Contact/cbc:ElectronicMail
SpecEN 16931
Operationset_value
StrategySet valid seller contact email for XRechnung (requires user input)

Common Causes

  • ·Delivery address provided but post code missing
  • ·BT-78 Deliver to post code required when BG-15 used
  • ·cbc:PostalZone in delivery address empty or absent
  • ·Partial delivery address invalid for XRechnung
  • ·German validation requires delivery postal code

Seeing this in production? The API handles DE-R-011 automatically. See the fix response →

Frequently Asked Questions

Delivery postal code is missing. When a delivery address is provided in German invoices, the delivery postal code (BT-78) is required.

This requires user input to resolve. Provide the correct value for `cac:Address` (BT-78). You can also use Invoice Navigator's compliance engine to correct this automatically in your pipeline.

Yes, DE-R-011 is a critical error that will cause invoice rejection. It must be fixed before submission.

Many instances of DE-R-011 can be automatically corrected using Invoice Navigator's compliance engine. The fix is applied in your pipeline with full audit evidence.

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Last updated: 14 April 2026

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