BR-57EN 16931fatalbusiness

Each Deliver to address (BG-15) shall contain a Deliver to country code (BT-80)

Fix: This requires user input to resolve. Provide the correct value for `cac:Address` (BG-15). Provide the required value in the free validator.

Each Deliver to address (BG-15) shall contain a Deliver to country code (BT-80). This applies to the `cac:Address` element in the invoice XML.

Where is this in my invoice?

Shown on a sample invoice. The marked row is the field this rule checks; on your own invoice it sits in the same place.

Sample invoice · not your document

Invoice

SAMPLE-INV-001 · issued 4 Jan 2026 · due 4 Feb 2026 · EUR

Seller

Seller nameSample Supplier B.V.

Seller streetHerengracht 100

Seller postcode1015 BS

Seller cityAmsterdam

Seller countryNL

Seller VAT numberNL123456789B01

Seller registration number12345678

Seller electronic addressNL123456789B01

Buyer

Buyer nameSample Buyer NV

Buyer streetRue de la Loi 42

Buyer postcode1000

Buyer cityBrussels

Buyer countryBE

Buyer VAT numberBE0123456789

Buyer electronic addressBE0123456789

Invoice details

Invoice numberSAMPLE-INV-001

Issue date4 Jan 2026

Due date4 Feb 2026

Invoice type380

CurrencyEUR

Buyer referencePO-12345

Delivery

Delivery country— BR-57

Payment

Payment method30

Payment IBANNL91ABNA0417164300

Line items

No.	Item	Quantity	Unit price	VAT rate (%)	Line amount
1	Consulting Services	1	€100.00	21%	€100.00

Totals

Sum of line amounts€100.00

Total without VAT€100.00

Total VAT€21.00

Total with VAT€121.00

Amount due€121.00

VAT breakdown

VAT category	VAT rate (%)	Taxable amount	VAT amount
S	21%	€100.00	€21.00

How to Fix It

Locate document allowance

Find AllowanceCharge at document level

Add reason code

Common codes: 95 (discount), 100 (special agreement)

See this rule against your own invoice: every finding is pinned to the row it concerns.

Check your invoice Run this check in CI

Severity

Fatal

Rule set

EN 16931

Country

All EU

Fix type

Input required

Engine Classification

Business data required · Explicit input workflow · No assumptions made

Required input: Allowance Reason

What is BR-57?

BR-57 is a fatal validation rule defined in the EN 16931 specification. It validates the AllowanceCharge element under Invoice in the UBL invoice XML.

When this rule fires, the invoice is rejected by Peppol access points and never reaches the buyer.

Target path: XPath: /Invoice/cac:AllowanceCharge[cbc:ChargeIndicator=false]

Why This Error Matters

Invoice rejected. Delivery country is needed for logistics, customs, and tax determination.

BR-57 is a hard failure — the invoice must be corrected and re-sent before it can reach the recipient.

Validator Behavior

·Causes invoice rejection
·Error returned: BR-57
·Specification: EN 16931

Before / After

Failing XML

<cac:DeliveryLocation>
  <cac:Address>INVALID_CODE</cac:Address>
</cac:DeliveryLocation>

Corrected XML

<cac:DeliveryLocation>
  <cac:Address>VALID_CODE</cac:Address>
</cac:DeliveryLocation>

Technical Reference

XPathXPath: /Invoice/cac:AllowanceCharge[cbc:ChargeIndicator=false]

SpecEN 16931

StrategyRequires user input: Two-letter ISO 3166-1 country code for delivery location. Could potentially derive from country name if present.

Common Causes

·Delivery address missing country code
·Delivery/DeliveryLocation/Address without country
·Shipping address entered without country selection
·Country stored as full name not ISO code
·Domestic delivery assumed no country needed

Seeing this in production? The API handles BR-57 automatically. See the fix response →

Frequently Asked Questions

Document level allowance must have reason code or text.

This requires user input to resolve. Provide the correct value for `cac:Address` (BG-15). Invoice Navigator detects this error and prompts for the required business data before applying a safe fix.

Yes, BR-57 is a critical error that will cause invoice rejection. It must be fixed before submission to ensure your invoice is accepted by the recipient's system.

BR-57 requires specific business data to resolve. Invoice Navigator detects the error and guides you through providing the needed information, then applies the fix with full audit documentation.

Validate your invoice

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Fix BR-57 with guided input

Upload your invoice and we'll ask for the missing data, then apply a safe, auditable fix.

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