BR-DE – XRechnung

BR-DE-15: buyer reference (BT-10) missing in the XRechnung

ErrorXRechnung business rule (KoSIT)

Official message

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

Source: KoSIT XRechnung, version 3.0.2 (Schematron 2.6.0)

What the message means

The invoice carries no buyer reference. XRechnung requires this field in every invoice, whoever the recipient is: an identifier the buyer defines so that it can route the invoice internally, such as a customer, project or cost centre number. For German public bodies the buyer reference is the Leitweg-ID, with which the central invoice portal forwards the invoice to the right office. When the field is missing or holds only spaces, validation services and portals reject the invoice.

How to fix it

Add the BuyerReference element directly under the invoice root and copy the value the buyer defined: the Leitweg-ID for a public body, otherwise the agreed reference, exactly as it was communicated.

Before – invalid

<ubl:Invoice>
  <cbc:ID>RE-2026-0142</cbc:ID>
  <cbc:IssueDate>2026-09-01</cbc:IssueDate>
  <cbc:InvoiceTypeCode>380</cbc:InvoiceTypeCode>
</ubl:Invoice>

After – corrected

<ubl:Invoice>
  <cbc:ID>RE-2026-0142</cbc:ID>
  <cbc:IssueDate>2026-09-01</cbc:IssueDate>
  <cbc:InvoiceTypeCode>380</cbc:InvoiceTypeCode>
  <cbc:BuyerReference>04011000-1234512345-06</cbc:BuyerReference>
</ubl:Invoice>

Frequently asked

What do I enter when my customer is a company without a Leitweg-ID?

The reference the customer defines for its invoices, such as its customer, project or cost centre number. If it names none, ask; the field must not stay empty.

Is the Leitweg-ID the same as the purchase order number?

No. The order number (BT-13) points to the order; the buyer reference in BT-10 is, for public bodies, the Leitweg-ID that routes the invoice to the right office. Both fields can be filled side by side.

Also seen when …

The buyer gave no reference, and the invoicing software then leaves the field empty.
The Leitweg-ID or the agreed reference was never copied into the customer master data.
The invoicing software writes the reference into the purchase order field instead of Buyer reference.
The field was filled with spaces, which the standard treats as empty.

Fields concerned

BT-10

Related rules

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Technical details

UBL · Context (XPath): /ubl:Invoice | /cn:CreditNote
UBL · Schematron test: cbc:BuyerReference[boolean(normalize-space(.))]
CII · Context (XPath): /rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice
CII · Schematron test: rsm:SupplyChainTradeTransaction/ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeAgreement/ram:BuyerReference[boolean(normalize-space(.))]

Explanation written on 14 September 2026