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Fatal: fails the selected checks

BR-04: Invoice type code is required

In short

BR-04 means the invoice type code (BT-3) is missing. Choose the document type in your invoicing software (invoice, credit note, corrected invoice) and export again.

On this page

What it means

Every invoice must contain the invoice type code (BT-3). This code says what kind of document it is, for example 380 for an invoice or 381 for a credit note.

Why it matters

EN 16931, the European e-invoicing standard, makes this field mandatory. Without it the recipient's system rejects the invoice before anyone reads it, and public bodies and Peppol access points refuse it outright.

How to fix it

Choose the document type in your invoicing software (invoice, credit note, corrected invoice) and export again. In the XML the code goes in cbc:InvoiceTypeCode or cbc:CreditNoteTypeCode (UBL) or ram:TypeCode (CII).

The rule as published

An Invoice shall have an Invoice type code (BT-3).

Business terms: BT-3

Where this rule applies

Rule set Version
EN 16931 (UBL) 1.3.17
EN 16931 (UBL credit note) 1.3.17
EN 16931 (CII) 1.3.17
XRechnung 3.0 (UBL) 3.0.2
XRechnung 3.0 (UBL credit note) 3.0.2
XRechnung 3.0 (CII) 3.0.2
Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 (invoice) 2026.5
Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 (credit note) 2026.5
Factur-X 1.09 MINIMUM 1.0.9-2
Factur-X 1.09 BASIC WL 1.0.9-2
Factur-X 1.09 BASIC 1.0.9-2
Factur-X 1.09 EN 16931 1.0.9-2
Factur-X 1.09 EXTENDED 1.0.9-2
ZUGFeRD 2.5 MINIMUM 2.5.2
ZUGFeRD 2.5 BASIC WL 2.5.2
ZUGFeRD 2.5 BASIC 2.5.2
ZUGFeRD 2.5 EN 16931 2.5.2
ZUGFeRD 2.5 EXTENDED 2.5.2
SI-UBL 2.0 / NLCIUS (invoice) 2.0.3.13
SI-UBL 2.0 / NLCIUS (credit note) 2.0.3.13
NLCIUS (CII) 1.0.3.13
France CTC (UBL invoice) 1.4.0-04
France CTC (UBL credit note) 1.4.0-04
France CTC (CII) 1.4.0-04
CIUS-RO UBL Invoice 1.0.9 1.0.9
CIUS-RO UBL Credit Note 1.0.9 1.0.9
Rule text from phive-rules 4.6.4.

Check your file

Drop your e-invoice to see whether BR-04 still fails, and which other rules do.