What it means
The buyer (BG-7) may have at most one contact (BG-9), with the contact name, telephone number and email address. The check counts the ram:DefinedTradeContact elements under ram:BuyerTradeParty and fails when there is more than one. It applies to the EN 16931 profile of Factur-X and ZUGFeRD.
Why it matters
The EN 16931 model has room for a single buyer contact. A second one has nowhere to go, so the file does not follow the profile and the recipient's system can reject it.
How to fix it
In your invoicing software, open the buyer's customer record or the contact field on the invoice and keep one contact person, with all their details in that one contact. If you need to name other people, mention them in an invoice note. If you build the XML yourself, keep a single ram:DefinedTradeContact inside ram:BuyerTradeParty.
Once the file is corrected, check it again for free: Validate a ZUGFeRD invoice
Or fix the invoice in a form and download the corrected file, for 1 credit: Fix a rejected e-invoice Beta
The rule as published
Element 'ram:DefinedTradeContact' may occur at maximum 1 times. Where this rule applies
| Rule set | Version |
|---|---|
| Factur-X 1.09 EN 16931 | 1.0.9-2 |
| ZUGFeRD 2.5 EN 16931 | 2.5.2 |
Check your file
Drop your e-invoice to see whether FX-SCH-A-000288 still fails, and which other rules do.
Related rules
- FX-SCH-A-000289 A buyer telephone entry must contain exactly one number
- FX-SCH-A-000290 Only one rounding amount is allowed
- FX-SCH-A-000291 A payment instruction can have only one text
- FX-SCH-A-000292 A bank entry must contain exactly one BIC
- FX-SCH-A-000293 Only one object reference is allowed in a line's settlement details
- FX-SCH-A-000294 An item attribute needs exactly one name