BR-61: If the Payment means type code means SEPA credit transfer…

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

BT-81 Payment means type code
BT-84 Payment account identifier

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-61] If the Payment means type code (BT-81) means SEPA credit transfer, Local credit transfer or Non-SEPA international credit transfer, the Payment account identifier (BT-84) shall be present.

Why this error occurs

This rule only applies when another field has a certain value (for example a payment means code or an invoice type). Your file triggers the condition but does not provide the data that then becomes mandatory, or provides data that is then forbidden.

How to fix it

Either change the triggering value so the condition no longer applies, or add/remove the dependent elements as the rule text describes. Check the condition in the XPath test above to see exactly which value triggers it.

What the validator checks

Checked element (context):

UBL

cac:PaymentMeans

Test (XPath):

(exists(cac:PayeeFinancialAccount/cbc:ID) and ((normalize-space(cbc:PaymentMeansCode) = '30') or (normalize-space(cbc:PaymentMeansCode) = '58') )) or ((normalize-space(cbc:PaymentMeansCode) != '30') and (normalize-space(cbc:PaymentMeansCode) != '58'))

CII

//ram:SpecifiedTradeSettlementPaymentMeans[ram:TypeCode='30' or ram:TypeCode='58']/ram:PayeePartyCreditorFinancialAccount

Test (XPath):

(ram:IBANID) or (ram:ProprietaryID)

Check your invoice

Drop your XML or PDF on the validator and every failed rule is linked to its page here. Free, no account, the file is not stored.

Check your invoice →

Same check via API:

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

Related rules

BR-49 A Payment instruction shall specify the Payment means type code
BR-50 A Payment account identifier shall be present if Credit transfer information is…
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-05 Invoice currency code (BT-5) is missing
BR-06 Seller name (BT-27) is missing

Frequently asked questions

What does BR-61 mean?

BR-61 is a en 16931 core rule: If the Payment means type code (BT-81) means SEPA credit transfer, Local credit transfer or Non-SEPA international credit transfer, the Payment account identifier (BT-84) shall be present.

Will my invoice be rejected because of BR-61?

Yes. BR-61 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-61 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.

BR-61: If the Payment means type code means SEPA credit transfer, Local credit transfer or…