What it means
This rule checks that the buyer's postal address (BG-8) does not contain a region element, cbc:Region. EN 16931 provides the country subdivision (BT-54) for this information, rather than a separate Region element. The rule applies to UBL invoices and credit notes.
Why it matters
EN 16931 does not use a separate Region element in the buyer's postal address.
How to fix it
Check the buyer's address in your invoicing software or customer record. If it exports a separate Region element, move any text you need into the country subdivision field (BT-54) or an address line, then stop exporting Region. If you build the XML yourself, delete cbc:Region from cac:AccountingCustomerParty/cac:Party/cac:PostalAddress. Export or save the file again and recheck it.
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 AccountingCustomerParty Party PostalAddress Region 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-226 still fails, and which other rules do.
Related rules
- UBL-CR-227 Leave the district out of the buyer's address
- UBL-CR-228 Leave the timezone offset out of the buyer's address
- UBL-CR-229 Leave the country name out of the buyer's address
- UBL-CR-230 Leave map coordinates out of the buyer's address
- UBL-CR-231 Leave the physical location out of the buyer's details
- UBL-CR-232 Leave the tax registration name out of the buyer's tax details