What it means
On every invoice or credit note line, the cac:BuyersItemIdentification block for the buyer's item number (BT-156) should not contain a cac:PhysicalAttribute block. In UBL this describes a physical trait of the item, such as colour. EN 16931 has no business term for it at this place.
Why it matters
EN 16931 does not use physical attributes inside the buyer's item identification.
How to fix it
Omit physical attributes from cac:BuyersItemIdentification in the invoice export. EN 16931 lets you list item attributes (BG-32) with a name and a value, such as Colour and Red. If you build the XML yourself, delete cac:PhysicalAttribute from cac:BuyersItemIdentification and, if needed, add a cac:AdditionalItemProperty to the item.
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 Item BuyersItemIdentification PhysicalAttribute 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-573 still fails, and which other rules do.
Related rules
- UBL-CR-574 The buyer's item number should not carry dimensions
- UBL-CR-575 The buyer's item number should not name an issuer
- UBL-CR-576 The seller's item number should not have an extended ID
- UBL-CR-577 The seller's item number should not have a barcode type
- UBL-CR-578 The seller's item number should not carry physical attributes
- UBL-CR-579 The seller's item number should not carry dimensions