BR-DE-15: Buyer reference (Leitweg-ID) is missing

A rule from XRechnung, the German national specification (CIUS) of EN 16931. What the message means and how to fix it.

What the message means

XRechnung requires a buyer reference (BT-10) in every invoice. For German public authorities this is the Leitweg-ID (German public-sector routing ID), which routes the invoice to the right office inside the authority.

How to fix it

Enter the reference your customer gives you: for public buyers the Leitweg-ID (for example 991-12345-73; the last two digits are a check number), for companies usually an order or cost-centre number. If in doubt, ask the invoice recipient.

Where the field is in the file

UBL: cbc:BuyerReference
CII: ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeAgreement/ram:BuyerReference

The rule applies only to invoices that declare XRechnung in the specification identifier (BT-24), for example invoices to German public authorities. For Peppol BIS, ZUGFeRD or a plain EN 16931 invoice it does not apply. The original rule text in the KoSIT files is German.

Check the invoice again: The free validator runs the official KoSIT rule files (EN 16931 rules for UBL and CII, plus the German XRechnung rules) in your browser. Your invoice never leaves your computer, and the report links to the English explanations.

All error codes

Technical notes on the data format, not tax or legal advice. Whether VAT rate, supply and amounts are correct in substance is a question for your tax adviser.