FR-R-008:Invalid French VAT number format
French TVA intracommunautaire must be FR + 11 characters.
Engine Classification
Business data required · Explicit input workflow · No assumptions made
Required input: French VAT Number (TVA intracommunautaire)
What is FR-R-008?
FR-R-008 is a fatal validation rule defined in the factur-x specification (FRA national rules). It validates the CompanyID element under PartyTaxScheme 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: //cac:PartyTaxScheme/cbc:CompanyID
Why This Error Matters
Invalid VAT format prevents EU VIES validation.
FR-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.
Validator Behavior
- ·Causes invoice rejection
- ·Rejected by Chorus Pro
- ·Error returned: FR-R-008
- ·Specification: factur-x
How to Fix It
Check format
FR followed by 11 characters
Validate
Key is MOD 97 of SIREN + 12
XML Example
Generic example based on the rule's target XPath. Your actual XML structure may differ.
<!-- Missing or empty element triggers cbc:CompanyID error --> <cbc:CompanyID></cbc:CompanyID>
<!-- Provide the required value --> <cbc:CompanyID>VALID_VALUE</cbc:CompanyID>
Technical Reference
XPath: //cac:PartyTaxScheme/cbc:CompanyIDCommon Causes
- ·Wrong prefix
- ·Wrong length
- ·Invalid check digits
Seeing this in production? The API handles FR-R-008 automatically. See the fix response →
Frequently Asked Questions
French TVA intracommunautaire must be FR + 11 characters.
Use format FR + 2 letters/digits + 9 digits (SIREN). You can also use Invoice Navigator's automatic Fixer tool to correct this instantly.
Yes, FR-R-008 is a critical error that will cause invoice rejection. It must be fixed before submission.
See Also
Last updated: 27 February 2026
Handle FR-R-008 Automatically in Your Pipeline
The compliance engine auto-remediates this error with controlled safety policies and evidence pack generation.