What it means
UBL lets a party carry a physical location, such as a site or a branch with its own address. EN 16931 only has the seller's postal address (BG-5) and no separate place for the seller. This rule fails whenever cac:PhysicalLocation is present inside the seller's party details, even if it is empty.
Why it matters
This rule is a warning, so the invoice is still accepted. The recipient's software does not read the location, so any address in it is ignored. It is worth fixing when the location holds an address the buyer needs, because that address will not reach them.
How to fix it
In your invoicing software, check the address of your own company and the export settings for branch or site options. If you build the XML yourself, delete cac:PhysicalLocation from cac:AccountingSupplierParty/cac:Party. Put the address you want shown in the postal address. Where the goods go is given in the delivery information (BG-13), not on the seller.
The rule as published
A UBL invoice should not include the AccountingSupplierParty Party PhysicalLocation 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-168 still fails, and which other rules do.
Related rules
- UBL-CR-169 The seller's VAT details should not include a registration name
- UBL-CR-170 The seller's VAT details should not include a tax level code
- UBL-CR-171 The seller's tax details should not include an exemption reason code
- UBL-CR-172 The seller's tax details should not include an exemption reason
- UBL-CR-173 The seller's tax details should not include a registration address
- UBL-CR-174 The seller's tax scheme should not include a name