What it means
This rule checks that the invoice or credit note has no cac:BuyerCustomerParty at the top level. That is an extra party block from the general UBL format. In EN 16931 the buyer (BG-7) is given in cac:AccountingCustomerParty and nowhere else.
Why it matters
EN 16931 calls for the separate cac:BuyerCustomerParty block to be left out. The buyer details belong in cac:AccountingCustomerParty.
How to fix it
Remove cac:BuyerCustomerParty from the exported XML. Keep the buyer details in cac:AccountingCustomerParty. This rule does not require you to add a buyer VAT number. Export 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 BuyerCustomerParty 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-294 still fails, and which other rules do.
Related rules
- UBL-CR-295 A separate seller supplier block should be left out
- UBL-CR-296 The tax representative's care-of flag should be left out
- UBL-CR-297 The tax representative's attention flag should be left out
- UBL-CR-298 The tax representative's website should be left out
- UBL-CR-299 The tax representative's logo reference should be left out
- UBL-CR-300 The tax representative's electronic address should be left out