What it means
The invoice notes (BT-22) must include the statement about the fixed fee for recovery costs when a payment is late, marked with the code PMT between hash signs. UBL has no separate field for the note subject code (BT-21), so the code is written into the note text, normally at the start, as #PMT# followed by the wording. The check looks for the text #PMT# in the notes and does not read the wording. It applies to invoices and credit notes.
Why it matters
French commercial law requires an invoice between businesses to mention the fixed recovery fee that applies when a payment is late. The platform checks that the statement is there and rejects the invoice when it is missing.
How to fix it
Add a note at invoice level (cbc:Note, not on a line) that starts with #PMT# and then the statement, for example: #PMT# Indemnité forfaitaire pour frais de recouvrement en cas de retard de paiement : 40 EUR. In invoicing software this usually goes in a notes or legal mentions field, so set it once in your invoice template. Type the code exactly as #PMT#, with no spaces inside the hash signs, because the check looks for that exact text.
The rule as published
La mention relative aux frais de recouvrement (code PMT) est absente. Elle est obligatoire dans les notes (BG-3). Business terms: BG-3
Where this rule applies
| Rule set | Version |
|---|---|
| France CTC (UBL invoice) | 1.4.0-04 |
| France CTC (UBL credit note) | 1.4.0-04 |
Check your file
Drop your e-invoice to see whether BR-FR-05_BT-22-1 still fails, and which other rules do.