DE-R-016: If one of the VAT codes S, Z, E, AE, K, G, L, or M is…

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

BG-11 Seller tax representative party
BT-31 Seller VAT identifier
BT-32 Seller tax registration identifier
BT-95 Document level allowance VAT category code
BT-102 Document level charge VAT category code
BT-151 Invoiced item VAT category 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-016] If one of the VAT codes S, Z, E, AE, K, G, L, or M is used, an invoice shall contain at least one of the following elements: "Seller VAT identifier" (BT-31) or "Seller tax registration identifier" (BT-32) or "SELLER TAX REPRESENTATIVE PARTY" (BG-11).

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 | /ubl-creditnote:CreditNote)[$supplierCountryIsDE and $customerCountryIsDE]

Test (XPath):

(not(           ($BT-95-UBL-Inv = $supportedVATCodes or $BT-95-UBL-CN = $supportedVATCodes) or           ($BT-102 = $supportedVATCodes) or           ($BT-151 = $supportedVATCodes)         ) or         (cac:TaxRepresentativeParty, $BT-31orBT-32Path))

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

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
DE-R-008 The element "Buyer city" shall be provided

Frequently asked questions

What does DE-R-016 mean?

DE-R-016 is a peppol national rule: If one of the VAT codes S, Z, E, AE, K, G, L, or M is used, an invoice shall contain at least one of the following elements: "Seller VAT identifier" (BT-31) or "Seller tax registration identifier" (BT-32) or "SELLER TAX REPRESENTATIVE PARTY" (BG-11).

Will my invoice be rejected because of DE-R-016?

Yes. DE-R-016 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-016 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-016: If one of the VAT codes S, Z, E, AE, K, G, L, or M is used, an invoice shall contain…