Skip to content

BR-DE-15: Buyer reference (BT-10) is missing

Official message

[BR-DE-15] Das Element "Buyer reference" (BT-10) muss übermittelt werden.

XRechnung (CII) · Error · Message language: German · Version: xrechnung-3.0.2-validator-configuration-2026-08-31

[BR-DE-15] Das Element "Buyer reference" (BT-10) muss übermittelt werden.

XRechnung (UBL) · Error · Message language: German · Version: xrechnung-3.0.2-validator-configuration-2026-08-31
Severity
Error The invoice is invalid and may be rejected by the recipient.
Applies to
XRechnung (CII), XRechnung (UBL)
Affected fields
BT-10

What does this mean?

An XRechnung invoice must contain a buyer reference (BT-10). The element is missing or contains only spaces.

Typical causes

The buyer reference / Leitweg-ID field was left empty.
The field contains only spaces; the check treats this as missing.
The buyer's Leitweg-ID or reference was entered elsewhere, e.g. in the purchase order reference (BT-13) or in a note.

How to fix the error

Ask the invoice recipient for the buyer reference if you do not have it.
For invoices to public contracting authorities in Germany this is usually the Leitweg-ID provided by the authority.
Enter the reference in BT-10 (CII: ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeAgreement/ram:BuyerReference, UBL: cbc:BuyerReference), then generate and validate the invoice again.

In E-Rechnungsfreund

In the invoice form, section "Rechnungsdetails" (invoice details), fill in the field "Käuferreferenz / Leitweg-ID (BT-10)" and validate the invoice again.

Example

Wrong

<ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeAgreement>
  <ram:BuyerReference> </ram:BuyerReference>
  ...
</ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeAgreement>

Correct

<ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeAgreement>
  <ram:BuyerReference>04011000-12350-85</ram:BuyerReference>
  ...
</ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeAgreement>
For developers: test expression per syntax

XRechnung (CII) (CII)

Context: /rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice

rsm:SupplyChainTradeTransaction/ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeAgreement/ram:BuyerReference[boolean(normalize-space(.))]

XRechnung (UBL) (UBL)

Context: /ubl:Invoice | /cn:CreditNote

cbc:BuyerReference[boolean(normalize-space(.))]

Related validation rules

  • BR-DE-1: Payment instructions (BG-16) are missing
  • BR-DE-10: Deliver to city (BT-77) is missing
  • BR-DE-11: Deliver to post code (BT-78) is missing
  • BR-DE-14: VAT category rate (BT-119) is missing in the VAT breakdown
  • BR-DE-16: Seller VAT ID, tax number or tax representative is missing
  • BR-DE-17: Invoice type code (BT-3) is not intended for XRechnung

Frequently asked questions

Is the buyer reference the same as the Leitweg-ID?

For invoices to public contracting authorities in Germany, the Leitweg-ID is transmitted in the buyer reference (BT-10). For other recipients it can hold another reference specified by the buyer.

Does the rule also apply to ZUGFeRD invoices?

BR-DE-15 is one of the national XRechnung rules. It is reported when the invoice is validated against the XRechnung rules.

Last updated:
Explanation of the validation rule, not legal or tax advice.