What it means
A Peppol invoice may contain at most one invoice note (BT-22) at document level. Only when both the seller and the buyer are in Germany are several notes allowed, because XRechnung uses separate notes for legal statements.
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
Combine the notes into one text, separating the parts with a line break, and export again. Notes that are really something else, such as payment terms or an order reference, belong in their own fields.
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-EN16931-R002 still fails, and which other rules do.
Related rules
- 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
- PEPPOL-EN16931-R010 The buyer's electronic address is required