BR-63:Buyer electronic address is missing its scheme identifier
Your invoice includes a buyer electronic address (EndpointID), but it does not specify what type of identifier it is. The scheme identifier tells the receiving system whether the address is a GLN number, a VAT number, a chamber of commerce number, or another type. Without it, the Peppol network cannot route the invoice to the correct recipient.
Engine Classification
Business data required · Explicit input workflow · No assumptions made
Required input: Buyer Electronic Address (EndpointID), Scheme ID
What is BR-63?
BR-63 is a fatal validation rule defined in the EN 16931 specification. It validates the @schemeID element under Party > EndpointID in the UBL invoice XML.
When this rule fires, the invoice is non-compliant and will be rejected by Peppol access points and national validation services. The sending system receives a rejection response and the invoice does not reach the buyer.
Target path: cac:AccountingCustomerParty/cac:Party/cbc:EndpointID/@schemeID
Why This Error Matters
Invoice rejected. The scheme is required for electronic delivery routing.
BR-63 is a hard failure. Invoices that trigger this rule are rejected at the access point and never reach the recipient. In Peppol networks, this means your sending system receives an MLR (Message Level Response) with a rejection status. The invoice must be corrected and re-sent, adding delay to your payment cycle.
Validator Behavior
- ·Causes invoice rejection
- ·Error returned: BR-63
- ·Specification: EN 16931
How to Fix It
Identify the address type
Look at the buyer's electronic address value. Is it a VAT number (starts with country code like DE, NL), a GLN (13 digits), a chamber of commerce number (8 digits in NL), or something else?
Find the correct scheme code
Common scheme codes: 0088 (GLN), 0106 (Dutch KvK), 9930 (German VAT), 9944 (Dutch VAT/BTW), 0007 (Swedish org number), 0009 (French SIRET). The full list is the CEF EAS code list.
Add the schemeID attribute
Add schemeID="XXXX" to the EndpointID element in the buyer section of your invoice. For example: <cbc:EndpointID schemeID="9930">DE123456789</cbc:EndpointID>
Before / After
<cac:Contact> <!-- cbc:ElectronicMail is missing --> </cac:Contact>
<cac:Contact> <cbc:ElectronicMail>valid-value</cbc:ElectronicMail> </cac:Contact>
Technical Reference
cac:AccountingCustomerParty/cac:Party/cbc:EndpointID/@schemeIDCommon Causes
- ·Invoicing software does not add schemeID when exporting the buyer EndpointID
- ·EndpointID was manually entered without the scheme attribute
- ·Template or mapping in ERP does not include the @schemeID attribute
- ·Buyer address was copied from a different system that does not use scheme identifiers
Seeing this in production? The API handles BR-63 automatically. See the fix response →
Commonly Seen In
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Related Errors
Last updated: 27 February 2026
Handle BR-63 Automatically in Your Pipeline
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