Error Guide

🇩🇪 DE-R-005: Seller contact name required (XRechnung) in Germany

ErrorMandatoryNeeds Input

German XRechnung invoices must include a contact person name (BT-41) in the Seller Contact group (BG-6).

Quick Facts

Severity

Error (rejection)

Ruleset

EN 16931

Mandate

B2B Mandatory

Fix Type

Needs input

Why This Matters in Germany

Germany requires e-invoicing using XRechnung (UBL), XRechnung (CII), ZUGFeRD 2.x. Invoices with this error will be rejected. They cannot be processed for Germany compliance.

Invoice Navigator covers 147 XRechnung 3.0.2 rules for Germany.

How to Fix DE-R-005

1
Identify the missing data
German XRechnung invoices must include a contact person name (BT-41) in the Seller Contact group (BG-6).
2
Provide the required value
This requires user input to resolve. Provide the correct value for `cbc:Name` (BT-41).
3
Re-validate your invoice
Upload the corrected invoice to confirm DE-R-005 is resolved.

Example: Before & After

Before (invalid)

<cac:Contact>
  <cbc:Name><!-- invalid or missing value --></cbc:Name>
</cac:Contact>

After (fixed)

<cac:Contact>
  <cbc:Name>correct-value</cbc:Name>
</cac:Contact>

Germany E-Invoicing Requirements

Phase

Status

Scope

B2G

Live (Nov 2020)

All federal suppliers

B2B receiving

Live (Jan 2025)

All German businesses

B2B sending

Jan 2027

>€800K annual revenue

B2B sending

Jan 2028

All businesses

Common Causes

•German invoice missing seller contact point
•BT-41 Seller contact point not provided
•cbc:Name in seller contact empty or absent
•Contact person name required for XRechnung
•German public sector needs named contact

Fix DE-R-005 automatically

Upload your invoice and let Invoice Navigator auto-remediate this error.

Try the Validator Germany Guide →