BR-DE-1: Payment instructions (BG-16) are missing

StandardXRechnung 3.0.2 (KoSIT, German CIUS of EN 16931)SeverityError: the invoice is rejectedSyntaxUBL, CIIBusiness terms

BG-16 Payment instructions

Applies toXRechnung in UBL or CII syntax, including ZUGFeRD / Factur-X PDFs with the XRECHNUNG profile. Invoices to German public authorities (federal, state and municipal) must pass it.

Official rule text

[BR-DE-1] An invoice (INVOICE) must contain information on "PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS" (BG-16).

Official text (German): Eine Rechnung (INVOICE) muss Angaben zu "PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS" (BG-16) enthalten.

Why this error occurs

XRechnung requires every invoice to carry payment instructions: at least one cac:PaymentMeans (UBL) or ram:SpecifiedTradeSettlementPaymentMeans in ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeSettlement (CII). German public-sector receivers process payments automatically from this block and reject documents without it. The error typically appears when bank data is printed in the PDF footer but not mapped to the structured fields, or when credit notes and prepaid invoices skip the block.

How to fix it

In UBL add cac:PaymentMeans with cbc:PaymentMeansCode from UNTDID 4461 (58 SEPA credit transfer, 30 credit transfer, 59 SEPA direct debit, 48 bank card) and, for 30/58, cac:PayeeFinancialAccount/cbc:ID with the IBAN (BR-DE-23-a). In CII add ram:SpecifiedTradeSettlementPaymentMeans with ram:TypeCode and ram:PayeePartyCreditorFinancialAccount/ram:IBANID. If nothing is to be paid (credit note, already paid), still include the block with a code such as 1 (instrument not defined) or 97 (clearing between partners).

Example (valid)

<cac:PaymentMeans>
  <cbc:PaymentMeansCode>58</cbc:PaymentMeansCode>
  <cbc:PaymentID>RE-2026-00123</cbc:PaymentID>
  <cac:PayeeFinancialAccount>
    <cbc:ID>DE89370400440532013000</cbc:ID>
    <cbc:Name>Muster GmbH</cbc:Name>
  </cac:PayeeFinancialAccount>
</cac:PaymentMeans>

What the validator checks

Checked element (context):

UBL

/ubl:Invoice | /cn:CreditNote

Test (XPath):

cac:PaymentMeans

CII

/rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice

Test (XPath):

rsm:SupplyChainTradeTransaction/ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeSettlement/ram:SpecifiedTradeSettlementPaymentMeans

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-DE-2 Seller contact (BG-6) is missing
BR-DE-3 Seller city (BT-37) is missing
BR-DE-4 The element "Seller post code" must be transmitted
BR-DE-5 Seller contact point (BT-41) is missing
BR-DE-6 Seller contact telephone number (BT-42) is missing
BR-DE-7 Seller contact email address (BT-43) is missing
BR-DE-8 The element "Buyer city" must be transmitted
BR-DE-9 The element "Buyer post code" must be transmitted

Frequently asked questions

What does BR-DE-1 mean?

BR-DE-1 is a xrechnung rule: An invoice (INVOICE) must contain information on "PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS" (BG-16).

Will my invoice be rejected because of BR-DE-1?

Yes. BR-DE-1 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-DE-1 apply to?

XRechnung in UBL or CII syntax, including ZUGFeRD / Factur-X PDFs with the XRECHNUNG profile. Invoices to German public authorities (federal, state and municipal) must pass it. Syntax: UBL and CII.

Source: XRechnung 3.0.2, schematron 2.6.0 (KoSIT, September 2026). Catalogue generated from the official schematron on 2026-10-14.