PEPPOL-EN16931-R007: Business process identifier has the wrong format

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-R007] Business process MUST be in the format 'urn:fdc:peppol.eu:2017:poacc:billing:NN:1.0' where NN indicates the process number.

Why this error occurs

The business process identifier (BT-23) in Peppol must follow the pattern urn:fdc:peppol.eu:2017:poacc:billing:NN:1.0, where NN is the two-digit process number. The validator derives the process from cbc:ProfileID (UBL) or ram:BusinessProcessSpecifiedDocumentContextParameter/ram:ID (CII) and raises this error when it cannot recognise it. Typical wrong values are old BIS 2 profiles (urn:www.cenbii.eu:profile:bii05:ver2.0), the value without the NN part, or a copy of the customization ID.

How to fix it

Use urn:fdc:peppol.eu:2017:poacc:billing:01:1.0 for standard invoicing (process 01); the same value is used for invoices and credit notes. Copy the string exactly, with the two-digit process number and the trailing :1.0 version, no spaces. Do not confuse it with the specification identifier (BT-24), which contains #compliant#.

Example (valid)

<cbc:ProfileID>urn:fdc:peppol.eu:2017:poacc:billing:01:1.0</cbc:ProfileID>

What the validator checks

Checked element (context):

UBL

ubl-creditnote:CreditNote | ubl-invoice:Invoice

Test (XPath):

$profile != 'Unknown'

CII

rsm:ExchangedDocumentContext

Test (XPath):

$profile != 'Unknown'

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-R002 No more than one note is allowed on document level, unless both the buyer and seller…
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-R008 Document contains empty elements
PEPPOL-EN16931-R010 Buyer electronic address (BT-49) is missing

Frequently asked questions

What does PEPPOL-EN16931-R007 mean?

PEPPOL-EN16931-R007 is a peppol bis billing 3.0 rule: Business process MUST be in the format 'urn:fdc:peppol.eu:2017:poacc:billing:NN:1.0' where NN indicates the process number.

Will my invoice be rejected because of PEPPOL-EN16931-R007?

Yes. PEPPOL-EN16931-R007 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-R007 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.