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Warning

UBL-CR-012: The document-level invoicing period should not have a start time

In short

Warning: worth checking.

UBL-CR-012 means a document-level invoicing period contains a start time (cbc:StartTime), which EN 16931 does not use. Remove it and keep the start date (BT-73), if present.

On this page

What it means

The rule checks that a document-level cac:InvoicePeriod has no cbc:StartTime. It applies to the invoicing period (BG-14) of the invoice or credit note, not to a line-level period. The start date (BT-73) is held in cbc:StartDate and the end date (BT-74) in cbc:EndDate.

Why it matters

EN 16931's UBL rules exclude a start-time element from the document-level invoicing period.

How to fix it

Delete cbc:StartTime inside cac:InvoicePeriod directly under the invoice or credit note root. Keep any correct cbc:StartDate value. If your XML export template writes the start time, remove that element from the template too. Export again and recheck the file.

Once the file is corrected, check it again for free: Validate an invoice against EN 16931

Or fix the invoice in a form and download the corrected file, for 1 credit: Fix a rejected e-invoice

The rule as published

A UBL invoice should not include the InvoicePeriod StartTime

Where this rule applies

Rule set Version
EN 16931 (UBL) 1.3.17
EN 16931 (UBL credit note) 1.3.17
XRechnung 3.0 (UBL) 3.0.2
XRechnung 3.0 (UBL credit note) 3.0.2
Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 (invoice) 2026.5
Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 (credit note) 2026.5
SI-UBL 2.0 / NLCIUS (invoice) 2.0.3.13
SI-UBL 2.0 / NLCIUS (credit note) 2.0.3.13
France CTC (UBL invoice) 1.4.0-04
France CTC (UBL credit note) 1.4.0-04
CIUS-RO UBL Invoice 1.0.9 1.0.9
CIUS-RO UBL Credit Note 1.0.9 1.0.9
Rule text from phive-rules 4.6.4.

Check your file

Drop your e-invoice to see whether UBL-CR-012 still fails, and which other rules do.

Updated 6 November 2026