What it means
Each postal address in the invoice is a PostalTradeAddress block. The rule checks that the block has no CountryName element, which would hold the country in words, such as Germany. EN 16931 identifies the country by its code in CountryID (BT-40 for the seller, BT-55 for the buyer).
Why it matters
The country code is the one country field the recipient's software reads. A country name in its own element is outside the standard, so the file fails the check and the invoice is rejected.
How to fix it
Delete the CountryName line and check that the country is given as a code in CountryID: two capital letters from the ISO 3166 list, such as DE, FR, NL or BE. In your invoicing software, make sure the country is filled in on the seller, buyer and delivery addresses. If the file is generated, ask your software supplier to export the country as a code only.
The rule as published
CountryName 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 |
Check your file
Drop your e-invoice to see whether CII-DT-090 still fails, and which other rules do.
Related rules
- CII-DT-091 Give a region as a name, not as a subdivision ID
- CII-DT-092 A postal address must not use an attention-of element
- CII-DT-093 A postal address must not use a care-of element
- CII-DT-094 Put the house number in the address line, not its own element
- CII-DT-095 A postal address must not use a department name element
- CII-DT-096 A postal address must not use an additional street name element