What it means
This rule searches the whole invoice or credit note for any unitCodeListID attribute, including on elements without unitCode. Unit codes such as C62 for a unit or piece, HUR for hours and KGM for kilograms are carried in unitCode. BT-130 is the invoiced quantity unit of measure, and BT-150 is the price base quantity unit of measure. This rule does not check the unit code value or whether unitCode is present.
Why it matters
EN 16931 does not use unitCodeListID anywhere in the file. The warning concerns that attribute, not the unitCode value.
How to fix it
Remove every unitCodeListID attribute from the XML, including any on elements without unitCode. Keep any unitCode attributes and their values. If your software adds unitCodeListID, ask its supplier to remove it from the export, then check the new file again.
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 unitCodeListID 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-663 still fails, and which other rules do.
Related rules
- UBL-CR-664 Do not add a bank name and address block to the payment account
- UBL-CR-665 Only an invoiced object reference may carry a scheme identifier
- UBL-CR-666 An invoiced object reference must not carry an attachment
- UBL-CR-667 The buyer's item number must be written without a scheme
- UBL-CR-668 The seller's item number must be written without a scheme
- UBL-CR-669 A price discount must not carry a reason code