What it means
In the EN 16931 profiles of Factur-X and ZUGFeRD, this rule checks ram:CountryID under ram:SellerTaxRepresentativeTradeParty/ram:PostalTradeAddress. This is the country (BT-69) in the postal address (BG-12) of the seller's tax representative (BG-11). A non-empty value must be on the referenced country list. This test neither requires the element to be present nor rejects an empty value.
Why it matters
A standard country code identifies the country consistently in the tax representative's structured address. An unlisted value does not follow that representation.
How to fix it
Check the country in the seller's tax representative address, rather than the seller's or buyer's address. In the XML, use the uppercase two-letter code in ram:SellerTaxRepresentativeTradeParty/ram:PostalTradeAddress/ram:CountryID. Use GR for Greece and GB for the United Kingdom, not EL or UK. Export and recheck your invoice.
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
Value of 'ram:CountryID' is not allowed. 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-000573 still fails, and which other rules do.
Related rules
- FX-SCH-A-000574 The tax representative's VAT number needs the scheme VA
- FX-SCH-A-000575 The seller's legal information may appear only once
- FX-SCH-A-000576 Use no more than one seller contact on the invoice
- FX-SCH-A-000577 The seller contact email needs one address element
- FX-SCH-A-000578 The seller's contact phone must hold exactly one number
- FX-SCH-A-000579 The seller identifier scheme must be an ISO 6523 code