What it means
The rule checks that the delivery section of a UBL file (cac:Delivery) has no identifier of its own (cbc:ID). That field would hold a number for the delivery itself, such as a shipment or delivery note number. EN 16931 has no business term for it. It is not the deliver-to location identifier (BT-71), which sits one level deeper in cac:DeliveryLocation and is allowed.
Why it matters
EN 16931 does not use a separate identifier directly on cac:Delivery.
How to fix it
Look for a delivery or shipment number in your invoicing software, clear it and export again. If the buyer needs a delivery note or despatch advice number, enter it as the despatch advice reference (BT-16) instead, which is cac:DespatchDocumentReference/cbc:ID in UBL. If you build the XML yourself, delete the cbc:ID that sits directly under cac:Delivery.
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 Delivery ID 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-342 still fails, and which other rules do.