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 an additional document reference (cac:AdditionalDocumentReference). Supporting documents have their own place at the top level of the invoice or credit note (BG-24).
Why it matters
EN 16931 does not use an additional document reference inside the billing reference.
How to fix it
Remove cac:BillingReference/cac:AdditionalDocumentReference. If you need to include the document, add it as a supporting document (BG-24), using cac:AdditionalDocumentReference directly under the invoice or credit note. 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 AdditionalDocumentReference 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-043 still fails, and which other rules do.
Related rules
- 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
- UBL-CR-049 The despatch reference should not include a document type code