PEPPOL-EN16931-R002: No more than one note is allowed on document level, unless…

StandardPeppol BIS Billing 3.0 (OpenPeppol)SeverityError: the invoice is rejectedSyntaxUBL, CIIApplies toInvoices and credit notes sent over the Peppol network (UBL) and, because XRechnung embeds the Peppol rule set, every XRechnung as well.

Official rule text

[PEPPOL-EN16931-R002] No more than one note is allowed on document level, unless both the buyer and seller are German organizations.

Why this error occurs

The element or combination is not allowed in this context. The file contains something the standard forbids: an element that must not be repeated, a value that contradicts another field, or data that belongs to a different profile.

How to fix it

Remove the offending element or make the two fields consistent as described in the rule text. If your software adds the element automatically, check for a profile setting (e.g. "EN 16931" vs "EXTENDED") or an export option that suppresses it.

What the validator checks

Checked element (context):

UBL

ubl-creditnote:CreditNote | ubl-invoice:Invoice

Test (XPath):

count(cbc:Note) <= 1 or ($supplierCountryIsDE and $customerCountryIsDE)

CII

rsm:ExchangedDocument

Test (XPath):

count(ram:IncludedNote) <= 1 and not(ram:IncludedNote/ram:SubjectCode)

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

PEPPOL-EN16931-R001 Business process identifier (BT-23) is missing
PEPPOL-EN16931-R003 Neither buyer reference nor purchase order reference given
PEPPOL-EN16931-R004 Specification identifier is not the Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 identifier
PEPPOL-EN16931-R005 VAT accounting currency equals the invoice currency
PEPPOL-EN16931-R006 Only one invoiced object is allowed on document level
PEPPOL-EN16931-R007 Business process identifier has the wrong format
PEPPOL-EN16931-R008 Document contains empty elements
PEPPOL-EN16931-R010 Buyer electronic address (BT-49) is missing

Frequently asked questions

What does PEPPOL-EN16931-R002 mean?

PEPPOL-EN16931-R002 is a peppol bis billing 3.0 rule: No more than one note is allowed on document level, unless both the buyer and seller are German organizations.

Will my invoice be rejected because of PEPPOL-EN16931-R002?

Yes. PEPPOL-EN16931-R002 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-EN16931-R002 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.

PEPPOL-EN16931-R002: No more than one note is allowed on document level, unless both the buyer and seller…