Reference
Markdown exportBT-10 Buyer Reference
A routing identifier assigned by the buyer for internal routing purposes
BT-10 (Buyer reference) carries a free-text reference assigned by the buyer. For German B2G invoices under XRechnung it must hold a valid Leitweg-ID (e.g. 04011000-12345-35) per BR-DE-15. Cardinality: Mandatory in XRechnung; Optional in base EN 16931.
BT-10 · EN 16931 / XRechnung 3.x
BT Reference Card
Canonical EN 16931 / XRechnung facts for this business term — citable from this anchor.
- BT code
BT-10- Name
- Buyer Reference
- Cardinality
- Mandatory (M) — XRechnung; Optional (O) — EN 16931
- Business group
- BG-2 PROCESS CONTROL
- Data type
- Text
- Example value
04011000-12345-35- Common error
- BR-DE-15: A Buyer reference (BT-10) must be present. For German B2G receivers it must be a valid Leitweg-ID assigned by the receiving authority.
- XRechnung note
- XRechnung promotes BT-10 from optional to mandatory (BR-DE-15) and constrains the value to a Leitweg-ID for federal/state/municipal receivers. Without a valid Leitweg-ID the invoice is rejected at the central XRechnung gateway.
Quick answer
A routing identifier assigned by the buyer for internal routing purposes
Invoice basics
Core document identifiers, dates, process identifiers, and high-level invoice context.
In plain language
A routing identifier assigned by the buyer for internal routing purposes
A routing identifier assigned by the buyer for internal routing purposes
Essential for routing invoices to correct department in German public administration
What you usually enter here
Text with alphanumeric characters and hyphens
Typical valid values include: 991-12345-67, 992-BW-FINANZ-2024, 993-MUC-EDU-001, 04011000-26158-01
Mandatory for all XRechnung invoices to German authorities since November 27, 2020
What goes wrong often
Avoid values like: 12345, DE-991-12345, 991_12345_67, 991-12345-67-89-01
Relevant rule codes: BR-DE-15
Examples in context
Essential for routing invoices to correct department in German public administration
Mandatory for all XRechnung invoices to German authorities since November 27, 2020
Valid Examples
Use these points as the practical checks for this section.
- 991-12345-67
- 992-BW-FINANZ-2024
- 993-MUC-EDU-001
- 04011000-26158-01
Invalid Examples
Use these points as the practical checks for this section.
- 12345
- DE-991-12345
- 991_12345_67
- 991-12345-67-89-01
XML mapping and field facts
Open the technical reference if you need XML paths, validator rule codes, legal wording, or schema-specific mapping details.
Field ID:
BT-10
Data Type:
text
Cardinality:
1..1
Requirement:
Mandatory
Max Length:
250 characters
Since Version:
XRechnung 1.0+
XML Implementation
/Invoice/cbc:BuyerReference/CrossIndustryInvoice/SupplyChainTradeTransaction/ApplicableHeaderTradeAgreement/ram:BuyerReferenceValidation Rules
BR-DE-15
Buyer Reference (BT-10) must be provided
Why the standard cares about this field
Business Context
Essential for routing invoices to correct department in German public administration
Legal Requirement
Mandatory for all XRechnung invoices to German authorities since November 27, 2020
FAQ
Is the Buyer Reference mandatory for XRechnung?
Yes. For invoices to German public authorities, the Buyer Reference (Leitweg-ID) is mandatory.