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Fatal

CII-DT-078: Leave the sequence number out of the invoicing period

In short

Fatal: fails the selected checks.

CII-DT-078 means the invoicing period contains a sequence number (SequenceNumeric), which is not allowed. Fix it by removing that element and describing the period with a start date and an end date only.

On this page

What it means

The invoicing period (BG-14), or the period on a line (BG-26), sits in BillingSpecifiedPeriod and may hold only a start date and an end date. This rule checks that there is no SequenceNumeric element, a number that puts the period in an order.

Why it matters

EN 16931 describes a period by its dates alone, so a file with a sequence number inside the period does not meet the standard. It fails and is rejected.

How to fix it

Delete the SequenceNumeric element from BillingSpecifiedPeriod and keep the start and end dates. If your invoicing software keeps adding it, check its e-invoice export settings for an EN 16931 profile, or ask its supplier.

The rule as published

SequenceNumeric shall not be used.

Where this rule applies

Rule set Version
EN 16931 (CII) 1.3.17
XRechnung 3.0 (CII) 3.0.2
NLCIUS (CII) 1.0.3.13
France CTC (CII) 1.4.0-04
Rule text from phive-rules 4.6.4.

Check your file

Drop your e-invoice to see whether CII-DT-078 still fails, and which other rules do.

Updated 6 November 2026