What it means
When a number is marked with scheme 0211 and starts with IT or it after normalising whitespace, it must be a correctly formatted Italian VAT number (partita IVA). The test applies the Italian VAT number format check. Values without either prefix pass this check. The numeric part of an Italian VAT number has 11 digits, and the last one is calculated from the others. The check applies wherever the scheme is used: in the electronic address (BT-34 or BT-49), in a party identifier (such as BT-29 or BT-46) and in a company registration number (such as BT-30 or BT-47).
Why it matters
Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 requires values marked with scheme 0211 that start with IT or it after normalising whitespace to use the Italian VAT number format.
How to fix it
Copy the partita IVA from the relevant party's VAT registration documents and check for a missing, extra or swapped digit. Remove spaces, dots and dashes. If the number is not an Italian VAT number, change the scheme to the one that fits the number you hold.
Once the file is corrected, check it again for free: Validate a Peppol BIS invoice
Or fix the invoice in a form and download the corrected file, for 1 credit: Fix a rejected e-invoice
The rule as published
Read the rule on the publisher's site
Where this rule applies
| Rule set | Version |
|---|---|
| Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 (invoice) | 2026.5 |
| Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 (credit note) | 2026.5 |
Check your file
Drop your e-invoice to see whether PEPPOL-COMMON-R047 still fails, and which other rules do.
Related rules
- PEPPOL-COMMON-R049 A Swedish organisation number must be 10 valid digits
- PEPPOL-COMMON-R050 An Australian ABN must be 11 digits with a valid check
- PEPPOL-COMMON-R052 A Danish chamber of commerce number must be 10 digits
- PEPPOL-COMMON-R053 A Danish SE number must be DK followed by 8 digits
- PEPPOL-COMMON-R054 A Dutch KvK number must be 8 digits
- PEPPOL-COMMON-R055 A Dutch OIN must be 20 digits