What it means
This rule looks at the delivery party (cac:DeliveryParty), the party the goods or services go to, in the delivery information of a UBL invoice or credit note. It checks that the party has no cac:AgentParty, a second party acting on its behalf. UBL allows it, but EN 16931 has no business term for it.
Why it matters
EN 16931 does not use an agent block within the delivery party information.
How to fix it
Change your invoice export so it omits the delivery party's agent block. If the buyer needs to know who handled the delivery, write it in the invoice note (BT-22). If you build the XML yourself, delete cac:AgentParty from cac:Delivery/cac:DeliveryParty. Recheck the exported file.
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 DeliveryParty AgentParty 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-400 still fails, and which other rules do.
Related rules
- UBL-CR-401 Leave out the service provider of the delivery party
- UBL-CR-402 The delivery party should not carry a power of attorney
- UBL-CR-403 The delivery party should not carry a bank account
- UBL-CR-404 The delivery should not name a party to notify
- UBL-CR-405 The delivery should not contain despatch details
- UBL-CR-406 The delivery should not contain delivery terms