DE-R-011: The element "Deliver to post code" shall be provided if…

StandardPeppol BIS Billing 3.0 country rules (NL, DE, IT, SE, DK, NO, GR, IS)CountryGermanySeverityError: the invoice is rejectedSyntaxUBLBusiness terms

BG-15 Deliver to address
BT-78 Deliver to post code

Applies toOnly when the seller (or for some rules the buyer) is in the named country: the rule is triggered by the country code of the party. Dutch rules implement NLCIUS, German rules the XRechnung requirements inside Peppol.

Official rule text

[DE-R-011] The element "Deliver to post code" (BT-78) shall be provided if the group "DELIVER TO ADDRESS" (BG-15) is delivered.

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

(/ubl-invoice:Invoice/cac:Delivery/cac:DeliveryLocation/cac:Address | /ubl-creditnote:CreditNote/cac:Delivery/cac:DeliveryLocation/cac:Address)[$supplierCountryIsDE and $customerCountryIsDE]

Test (XPath):

cbc:PostalZone[boolean(normalize-space(.))]

Check your invoice

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Same check via API:

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

Related rules

DE-R-010 The element "Deliver to city" shall be provided if the group "DELIVER TO ADDRESS" is…
DE-R-001 An invoice shall contain information on "PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS"
DE-R-002 The group "SELLER CONTACT" shall be provided
DE-R-003 The element "Seller city" shall be provided
DE-R-004 The element "Seller post code" shall be provided
DE-R-005 The element "Seller contact point" shall be provided
DE-R-006 The element "Seller contact telephone number" shall be provided
DE-R-007 The element "Seller contact email address" shall be provided

Frequently asked questions

What does DE-R-011 mean?

DE-R-011 is a peppol national rule: The element "Deliver to post code" (BT-78) shall be provided if the group "DELIVER TO ADDRESS" (BG-15) is delivered.

Will my invoice be rejected because of DE-R-011?

Yes. DE-R-011 is flagged "fatal"; validators (KoSIT, Peppol access points, the German ZRE/OZG-RE portals, KSeF) reject the invoice until it is fixed.

Which formats does DE-R-011 apply to?

Only when the seller (or for some rules the buyer) is in the named country: the rule is triggered by the country code of the party. Dutch rules implement NLCIUS, German rules the XRechnung requirements inside Peppol. Syntax: UBL.

Source: Peppol BIS Billing 3.0.20 national rules (November 2025). Catalogue generated from the official rule sets on 2026-10-15.

DE-R-011: The element "Deliver to post code" shall be provided if the group "DELIVER TO ADDRESS"…