errorEN16931

UBL-SR-43:Scheme identifier shall only be used for invoiced object (document type code with value 130 or 50)

Your invoice uses a scheme identifier (schemeID attribute) on AdditionalDocumentReference/ID but the DocumentTypeCode is not 130 (invoiced object identifier) or 50 (price/sales catalogue reference). Scheme identifiers are only valid for these document types.

Severity
Fatal
Rule set
EN16931
Country
All EU
Fix type
CONFIRM
Confidence
85%
Category
structural

Engine Classification

Requires user confirmation before application

What is UBL-SR-43?

UBL-SR-43 is a fatal validation rule defined in the EN16931 specification. It validates the @schemeID element under ID 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:AdditionalDocumentReference/cbc:ID/@schemeID

Why This Error Matters

Invoice will be rejected. The schemeID attribute on document references is only meaningful for invoiced objects and catalogue references.

UBL-SR-43 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
  • ·Fails EN 16931 business rule validation
  • ·Error returned: UBL-SR-43
  • ·Specification: EN16931

XML Example

Generic example based on the rule's target XPath. Your actual XML structure may differ.

Before
<!-- Triggers validation error -->
<@schemeID></@schemeID>
After
<!-- Corrected -->
<@schemeID>VALID_VALUE</@schemeID>

Technical Reference

XPath//cac:AdditionalDocumentReference/cbc:ID/@schemeID
SpecEN16931
Operationremove_attribute
StrategyRemove schemeID attribute from AdditionalDocumentReference/ID when DocumentTypeCode is not 130 or 50

Common Causes

  • ·Generic document reference template adds schemeID to all references
  • ·ERP export includes schemeID attribute on all document references
  • ·Copy-paste from invoiced object reference to other reference types
  • ·XML generation library adds schemeID by default
  • ·Conversion from other format incorrectly mapped schemeID

Seeing this in production? The API handles UBL-SR-43 automatically. See the fix response →

See Also

Last updated: 21 February 2026

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Handle UBL-SR-43 Automatically in Your Pipeline

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