BR-05: Invoice currency code (BT-5) is missing

StandardEN 16931-1 (European e-invoicing semantic model)SeverityError: the invoice is rejectedSyntaxUBL, CIIBusiness terms

BT-5 Invoice currency code

Applies toEvery EN 16931 invoice: XRechnung, ZUGFeRD 2.x / Factur-X (profiles EN 16931, EXTENDED, XRECHNUNG), Peppol BIS Billing 3.0, and national CIUS such as the Dutch NLCIUS or the Italian/Spanish profiles.

Official rule text

[BR-05] An Invoice shall have an Invoice currency code (BT-5).

Why this error occurs

The rule checks that the invoice currency is stated: cbc:DocumentCurrencyCode in UBL, ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeSettlement/ram:InvoiceCurrencyCode in CII. All amounts in the document are interpreted in this currency and, in UBL, every currencyID attribute must match it. The element is usually missing when the export assumes EUR implicitly or the ERP mapping leaves the currency field unmapped.

How to fix it

In UBL add cbc:DocumentCurrencyCode after cbc:InvoiceTypeCode (and cbc:Note, if present). In CII add ram:InvoiceCurrencyCode inside ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeSettlement, before the payment and tax elements. Use an ISO 4217 alpha-3 code in upper case, e.g. EUR, USD, GBP, CHF; never a symbol or a numeric code. Make sure the same code is used in all currencyID attributes of the amounts.

Example (valid)

<cbc:DocumentCurrencyCode>EUR</cbc:DocumentCurrencyCode>

What the validator checks

Checked element (context):

UBL

/ubl:Invoice | /cn:CreditNote

Test (XPath):

normalize-space(cbc:DocumentCurrencyCode) != ''

CII

/rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice

Test (XPath):

normalize-space(rsm:SupplyChainTradeTransaction/ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeSettlement/ram:InvoiceCurrencyCode) != ''

Check your invoice

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Same check via API:

curl -F file=@invoice.xml https://einvoicechecker.com/v1/validate

Related rules

BR-01 Specification identifier (BT-24) is missing
BR-02 Invoice number (BT-1) is missing
BR-03 Invoice issue date (BT-2) is missing
BR-04 Invoice type code (BT-3) is missing
BR-06 Seller name (BT-27) is missing
BR-07 Buyer name (BT-44) is missing
BR-08 Seller postal address is missing
BR-09 Seller country code (BT-40) is missing

Frequently asked questions

What does BR-05 mean?

BR-05 is a en 16931 core rule: An Invoice shall have an Invoice currency code (BT-5).

Will my invoice be rejected because of BR-05?

Yes. BR-05 is flagged "fatal"; validators (KoSIT, Peppol access points, the German ZRE/OZG-RE portals) reject the invoice until it is fixed.

Which formats does BR-05 apply to?

Every EN 16931 invoice: XRechnung, ZUGFeRD 2.x / Factur-X (profiles EN 16931, EXTENDED, XRECHNUNG), Peppol BIS Billing 3.0, and national CIUS such as the Dutch NLCIUS or the Italian/Spanish profiles. Syntax: UBL and CII.

Source: EN 16931-1:2017 schematron (CEN TC434, via Peppol BIS 3.0.20). Catalogue generated from the official schematron on 2026-10-14.