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Fatal

UBL-SR-06: A preceding invoice reference can name only one invoice

In short

Fatal: fails the selected checks.

UBL-SR-06 means one preceding invoice reference block (BG-3) points to more than one earlier invoice. Give each earlier invoice its own reference block.

On this page

What it means

A credit note or corrected invoice can refer to the invoice it relates to with a preceding invoice reference (BG-3). The rule looks inside each cac:BillingReference and allows one cac:InvoiceDocumentReference there. It does not limit how many earlier invoices you refer to, only how many sit in one block. It applies to invoices and credit notes alike.

Why it matters

Each preceding invoice reference is a group of its own in EN 16931.

How to fix it

If you correct or credit several earlier invoices, add one reference per invoice in your invoicing software instead of packing them into one entry. Check that each earlier invoice is a reference of its own. In the XML, each earlier invoice goes in its own cac:BillingReference, with one cac:InvoiceDocumentReference and its cbc:ID.

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

Preceding invoice reference shall occur maximum once

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-SR-06 still fails, and which other rules do.

Updated 6 November 2026