What it means
The rule checks that cac:InvoicePeriod directly under the invoice or credit note root has no cbc:Description. This is not the same as cbc:DescriptionCode in the same block, which carries the VAT point date code (BT-8) and is not checked by this rule.
Why it matters
EN 16931's UBL rules exclude a free-text description from the document-level invoicing period. The VAT point date code (BT-8) is a separate field.
How to fix it
Delete cbc:Description inside the document-level cac:InvoicePeriod. If you want to describe the period in words, put the sentence in the invoice note (BT-22), and keep any dates in cbc:StartDate and cbc:EndDate. Do not remove cbc:DescriptionCode if you use it for the VAT point date. 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 Description 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 |
Check your file
Drop your e-invoice to see whether UBL-CR-015 still fails, and which other rules do.
Related rules
- UBL-CR-016 The purchase order reference should not have a copy indicator
- UBL-CR-017 The purchase order reference should not have a UUID
- UBL-CR-018 The purchase order reference should not have an issue date
- UBL-CR-019 The purchase order reference should not have an issue time
- UBL-CR-020 The purchase order reference should not have a customer reference
- UBL-CR-021 Do not send an order type code in the order reference