What it means
In UBL, the billing reference block (cac:BillingReference) points at an earlier document. EN 16931 uses it for the preceding invoice reference (BG-3). This rule checks that the block does not contain a reference to an earlier payment reminder (cac:ReminderDocumentReference).
Why it matters
EN 16931 does not use a reminder reference inside the billing reference.
How to fix it
Remove the reminder reference from the billing reference. If the buyer needs to know about the reminder, say so in the invoice note (BT-22). If you build the XML yourself, delete cac:BillingReference/cac:ReminderDocumentReference. Then check the file again.
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 BillingReference ReminderDocumentReference 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-042 still fails, and which other rules do.
Related rules
- UBL-CR-043 The billing reference should not include additional documents
- UBL-CR-044 The billing reference should not include billing reference lines
- UBL-CR-045 The despatch reference should not say whether it is a copy
- UBL-CR-046 The despatch reference should not include a UUID
- UBL-CR-047 The despatch reference should not include an issue date
- UBL-CR-048 The despatch reference should not include an issue time