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BR-DE-5: Seller contact point (BT-41) is missing

Official message

[BR-DE-5] Das Element "Seller contact point" (BT-41) muss übermittelt werden.

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

[BR-DE-5] Das Element "Seller contact point" (BT-41) 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-41

What does this mean?

The seller contact details must contain a contact point (Seller contact point, BT-41), i.e. a name or a department. The element is missing or empty.

Typical causes

Only telephone and email were provided for the seller, but no contact person.
The contact person field contains only spaces.

How to fix the error

Enter a contact person or a department of the seller.
CII: ram:SellerTradeParty/ram:DefinedTradeContact/ram:PersonName or ram:DepartmentName, UBL: cac:AccountingSupplierParty/cac:Party/cac:Contact/cbc:Name.
Generate and validate the invoice again.

In E-Rechnungsfreund

In the invoice form ("Experte" view), section "Verkäufer (BG-4)" (seller), fill in the field "Ansprechpartner (BT-41/56)" or "Abteilung (BT-41-0/56-0)".

Example

Wrong

<ram:DefinedTradeContact>
  <ram:TelephoneUniversalCommunication>
    <ram:CompleteNumber>+49 30 1234567</ram:CompleteNumber>
  </ram:TelephoneUniversalCommunication>
  ...
</ram:DefinedTradeContact>

Correct

<ram:DefinedTradeContact>
  <ram:PersonName>Max Mustermann</ram:PersonName>
  <ram:TelephoneUniversalCommunication>
    <ram:CompleteNumber>+49 30 1234567</ram:CompleteNumber>
  </ram:TelephoneUniversalCommunication>
  ...
</ram:DefinedTradeContact>
For developers: test expression per syntax

XRechnung (CII) (CII)

Context: /rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice/rsm:SupplyChainTradeTransaction/ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeAgreement/ram:SellerTradeParty/ram:DefinedTradeContact

(ram:PersonName,ram:DepartmentName)[boolean(normalize-space(.))]

XRechnung (UBL) (UBL)

Context: /ubl:Invoice/cac:AccountingSupplierParty/cac:Party/cac:Contact | /cn:CreditNote/cac:AccountingSupplierParty/cac:Party/cac:Contact

cbc:Name[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-15: Buyer reference (BT-10) is missing
  • BR-DE-16: Seller VAT ID, tax number or tax representative is missing

Frequently asked questions

Does a person have to be named here?

No. In CII the rule accepts either a person name (ram:PersonName) or a department (ram:DepartmentName), e.g. "Accounting".

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