Official rule text
[PEPPOL-COMMON-R043] Belgian enterprise number MUST be stated in the correct format.
Why this error occurs
An identifier with schemeID 0208 is a Belgian enterprise number (KBO/BCE) and must be exactly ten digits whose last two digits are the modulus-97 check of the first eight. The rule checks cbc:EndpointID, cac:PartyIdentification/cbc:ID and cbc:CompanyID with schemeID 0208 (UBL) or ram:URIID, ram:ID, ram:GlobalID with schemeID 0208 (CII). It fails on the BE prefix, dots (0123.456.789), the VAT format BE0123456789 or a typo.
How to fix it
Write the ten digits only, starting with 0 or 1, e.g. 0123456749, without BE, dots or spaces. Verify: 97 - (first eight digits mod 97) must equal the last two digits. The VAT number with BE prefix belongs in cac:PartyTaxScheme/cbc:CompanyID (BT-48/BT-31) or under EAS scheme 9925 on the endpoint, not under 0208.
Example (valid)
<cbc:EndpointID schemeID="0208">0123456749</cbc:EndpointID>What the validator checks
Checked element (context):
UBL
cbc:EndpointID[@schemeID = '0208'] | cac:PartyIdentification/cbc:ID[@schemeID = '0208'] | cbc:CompanyID[@schemeID = '0208']Test (XPath):
matches(normalize-space(), '^[0-9]{10}$') and u:mod97-0208(normalize-space())CII
ram:URIID[@schemeID = '0208'] | ram:ID[@schemeID = '0208'] | ram:GlobalID[@schemeID = '0208']Test (XPath):
matches(normalize-space(), '^[0-9]{10}$') and u:mod97-0208(normalize-space())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.
Same check via API:
curl -F file=@invoice.xml https://einvoicechecker.com/v1/validateRelated rules
PEPPOL-COMMON-R040GLN (scheme 0088) has an invalid formatPEPPOL-COMMON-R041Norwegian organisation number (scheme 0192) has an invalid formatPEPPOL-COMMON-R042Danish organization number (CVR) MUST be stated in the correct formatPEPPOL-COMMON-R044Italian IPA code (scheme 0201) has an invalid formatPEPPOL-COMMON-R045Tax Code (Codice Fiscale) must be stated in the correct formatPEPPOL-COMMON-R046Tax Code (Codice Fiscale) must be stated in the correct formatPEPPOL-COMMON-R047Italian VAT Code (Partita Iva) must be stated in the correct formatPEPPOL-COMMON-R049Swedish organisation number (scheme 0007) has an invalid format
Frequently asked questions
What does PEPPOL-COMMON-R043 mean?
PEPPOL-COMMON-R043 is a peppol bis billing 3.0 rule: Belgian enterprise number MUST be stated in the correct format.
Will my invoice be rejected because of PEPPOL-COMMON-R043?
Yes. PEPPOL-COMMON-R043 is flagged "fatal"; validators (KoSIT, Peppol access points, the German ZRE/OZG-RE portals) reject the invoice until it is fixed.
Which formats does PEPPOL-COMMON-R043 apply to?
Invoices and credit notes sent over the Peppol network (UBL) and, because XRechnung embeds the Peppol rule set, every XRechnung as well. Syntax: UBL and CII.
Source: Peppol BIS Billing 3.0.20 (November 2025). Catalogue generated from the official schematron on 2026-10-14.