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Warning

UBL-CR-538: A line document reference should not carry an XPath

In short

Warning: worth checking.

UBL-CR-538 means the document reference on an invoice or credit note line contains an XPath expression (cbc:XPath), which EN 16931 does not use there. It is a warning; remove the XPath, keep the identifier and recheck the file.

On this page

What it means

The rule warns if cac:DocumentReference inside cac:InvoiceLine or cac:CreditNoteLine contains cbc:XPath. It does not check the invoiced object identifier (BT-128) in cbc:ID or the document type code 130 in cbc:DocumentTypeCode.

Why it matters

EN 16931 does not use an XPath in a line document reference. It is worth fixing when you want a file without warnings.

How to fix it

Delete cbc:XPath from cac:DocumentReference inside cac:InvoiceLine (cac:CreditNoteLine in a credit note). If your invoicing software adds this element, ask its maker to omit it from the UBL export. Recheck the 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 InvoiceLine DocumentReference Xpath

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
Rule text from phive-rules 4.6.4.

Check your file

Drop your e-invoice to see whether UBL-CR-538 still fails, and which other rules do.

Updated 6 November 2026