BR-CL-03: currencyID attribute is not an ISO 4217 code

StandardEN 16931-1 (European e-invoicing semantic model)SeverityError: the invoice is rejectedSyntaxUBL, CIIApplies 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-CL-03] currencyID MUST be coded using ISO code list 4217 alpha-3

Why this error occurs

Every amount carries a currencyID attribute that must be an ISO 4217 alpha-3 code. In UBL the rule checks the attribute on cbc:Amount, cbc:BaseAmount, cbc:PriceAmount, cbc:TaxAmount, cbc:TaxableAmount, cbc:LineExtensionAmount, cbc:TaxExclusiveAmount, cbc:TaxInclusiveAmount, cbc:AllowanceTotalAmount, cbc:ChargeTotalAmount, cbc:PrepaidAmount, cbc:PayableRoundingAmount and cbc:PayableAmount; in CII on ram:TaxTotalAmount. It fails on lowercase codes (eur), symbols, numeric codes (978) or codes with spaces, usually caused by a template that copies the currency as displayed to the user.

How to fix it

Set currencyID to the three-letter upper-case ISO 4217 code: EUR, USD, GBP, CHF, SEK, PLN. Use one constant for the whole document, normally the value of cbc:DocumentCurrencyCode / ram:InvoiceCurrencyCode, and generate the attribute from it instead of per amount. In CII only ram:TaxTotalAmount carries currencyID; other CII amounts have none. Trim whitespace and never use the currency symbol.

Example (valid)

<cbc:PayableAmount currencyID="EUR">238.00</cbc:PayableAmount>

What the validator checks

Checked element (context):

UBL

cbc:Amount | cbc:BaseAmount | cbc:PriceAmount | cbc:TaxAmount | cbc:TaxableAmount | cbc:LineExtensionAmount | cbc:TaxExclusiveAmount | cbc:TaxInclusiveAmount | cbc:AllowanceTotalAmount | cbc:ChargeTotalAmount | cbc:PrepaidAmount | cbc:PayableRoundingAmount | cbc:PayableAmount

Test (XPath):

((not(contains(normalize-space(@currencyID), ' ')) and contains(' AED AFN ALL AMD ANG AOA ARS AUD AWG AZN BAM BBD BDT BGN BHD BIF BMD BND BOB BOV BRL BSD BTN BWP BYN BZD CAD CDF CHE CHF CHW CLF CLP CNH CNY COP COU CRC CUP CVE CZK DJF DKK DOP DZD EGP ERN ETB EUR FJD FKP GBP GEL GHS GIP GMD GNF GTQ GYD HKD HNL HTG HUF IDR ILS INR IQD IRR ISK JMD JOD JPY KES KGS KHR KMF KPW KRW KWD KYD KZT LAK LBP LKR LRD LSL LYD MAD MDL MGA MKD MMK MNT MOP MRU MUR MVR MWK MXN MXV MYR MZN NAD NGN NIO NOK NPR NZD OMR PAB PEN PGK PHP PKR PLN PYG QAR RON RSD RUB RWF SAR SBD SCR SDG SEK SGD SHP SLE SOS SRD SSP STD SVC SYP SZL THB TJS TMT TND TOP TRY TTD TWD TZS UAH UGX USD USN UYI UYU UYW UZS VES VED VND VUV WST XAF XAG XAU XBA XBB XBC XBD XCD XDR XOF XPD XPF XPT XSU XTS XUA XXX YER ZAR ZMW ZWG ', concat(' ', normalize-space(@currencyID), ' '))))

CII

ram:TaxTotalAmount[@currencyID]

Test (XPath):

((not(contains(normalize-space(@currencyID), ' ')) and contains(' AED AFN ALL AMD ANG AOA ARS AUD AWG AZN BAM BBD BDT BGN BHD BIF BMD BND BOB BOV BRL BSD BTN BWP BYN BZD CAD CDF CHE CHF CHW CLF CLP CNH CNY COP COU CRC CUP CVE CZK DJF DKK DOP DZD EGP ERN ETB EUR FJD FKP GBP GEL GHS GIP GMD GNF GTQ GYD HKD HNL HTG HUF IDR ILS INR IQD IRR ISK JMD JOD JPY KES KGS KHR KMF KPW KRW KWD KYD KZT LAK LBP LKR LRD LSL LYD MAD MDL MGA MKD MMK MNT MOP MRU MUR MVR MWK MXN MXV MYR MZN NAD NGN NIO NOK NPR NZD OMR PAB PEN PGK PHP PKR PLN PYG QAR RON RSD RUB RWF SAR SBD SCR SDG SEK SGD SHP SLE SOS SRD SSP STD SVC SYP SZL THB TJS TMT TND TOP TRY TTD TWD TZS UAH UGX USD USN UYI UYU UYW UZS VES VED VND VUV WST XAF XAG XAU XBA XBB XBC XBD XCD XDR XOF XPD XPF XPT XSU XTS XUA XXX YER ZAR ZMW ZWG ', concat(' ', normalize-space(@currencyID), ' '))))

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Same check via API:

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Related rules

BR-CL-01 Invoice type code is not a valid UNTDID 1001 code
BR-CL-04 Invoice currency code is not an ISO 4217 code
BR-CL-05 Tax currency code MUST be coded using ISO code list 4217 alpha-3
BR-CL-06 Value added tax point date code MUST be coded using a restriction of UNTDID 2005
BR-CL-07 Object identifier identification scheme identifier MUST be coded using a restriction…
BR-CL-08 Invoiced note subject code shall be coded using UNCL4451
BR-CL-10 Party identifier scheme is not an ISO 6523 ICD code
BR-CL-11 Any registration identifier identification scheme identifier MUST be coded using one…

Frequently asked questions

What does BR-CL-03 mean?

BR-CL-03 is a en 16931 core rule: currencyID MUST be coded using ISO code list 4217 alpha-3

Will my invoice be rejected because of BR-CL-03?

Yes. BR-CL-03 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-CL-03 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.