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Warning

UBL-CR-137: The invoice should not contain a signature block

In short

Warning: worth checking.

UBL-CR-137 means your UBL file contains a signature block (cac:Signature), which EN 16931 does not use. Remove that block from directly under the Invoice or CreditNote element.

On this page

What it means

This rule checks that the UBL invoice or credit note has no cac:Signature directly under the Invoice or CreditNote element. The check is limited to that location. It does not assess signature validity or other signing mechanisms.

Why it matters

EN 16931 does not use this document-level UBL signature block.

How to fix it

Remove cac:Signature directly under the Invoice or CreditNote element. Export the corrected file and check it again. If you need a signed invoice, check the applicable signing requirements separately; this rule does not assess whether a signature is valid.

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 Signature

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-137 still fails, and which other rules do.

Updated 6 November 2026