What it means
Every Peppol BIS invoice must contain the business process type (BT-23), which says which Peppol process the document belongs to. For Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 it is urn:fdc:peppol.eu:2017:poacc:billing:01:1.0.
Why it matters
Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 adds this rule to EN 16931 so that every access point and receiver can process the invoice the same way. The sending or receiving access point rejects an invoice that fails it, so it never reaches the buyer.
How to fix it
Export the invoice in Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 format from your invoicing software; it writes the process for you. If you build the XML yourself, add cbc:ProfileID with urn:fdc:peppol.eu:2017:poacc:billing:01:1.0 directly under the root element.
The rule as published
Business process MUST be provided. Where this rule applies
| Rule set | Version |
|---|---|
| XRechnung 3.0 (UBL) | 3.0.2 |
| XRechnung 3.0 (UBL credit note) | 3.0.2 |
| XRechnung 3.0 (CII) | 3.0.2 |
| 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-EN16931-R001 still fails, and which other rules do.
Related rules
- PEPPOL-EN16931-R002 At most one invoice note, unless both parties are German
- PEPPOL-EN16931-R003 Give a buyer reference or a purchase order reference
- PEPPOL-EN16931-R004 The specification identifier must be the Peppol BIS one
- PEPPOL-EN16931-R005 The VAT accounting currency must differ from the invoice currency
- PEPPOL-EN16931-R007 The business process must be an approved Peppol process
- PEPPOL-EN16931-R008 The invoice must not contain empty elements