Reference
Markdown exportBT-16 Despatch advice reference
Reference to the despatch advice that announced the shipment before invoicing.
Quick answer
Invoice basics
Core document identifiers, dates, process identifiers, and high-level invoice context.
Quick actions
In plain language
This field is useful in logistics-heavy flows where the buyer checks invoice, shipment, and receipt documents together. A delivery note number usually goes here; EN 16931 has no separate field for the delivery note date.
What you usually enter here
Despatch or shipment reference
Typical valid values include: DES-2026-44
Optional according to EN 16931-1.
Where the field sits
- Invoice
- cac:DespatchDocumentReference
- cbc:IDBT-16
- rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice
- rsm:SupplyChainTradeTransaction
- ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeDelivery
- ram:DespatchAdviceReferencedDocument
- ram:IssuerAssignedIDBT-16
What goes wrong often
Avoid values like: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Valid Examples
- DES-2026-44
Invalid Examples
- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
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-16
Data Type:
text
Cardinality:
0..1
Requirement:
Optional
Max Length:
50 characters
XML Implementation
/Invoice/cac:DespatchDocumentReference/cbc:ID/rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice/rsm:SupplyChainTradeTransaction/ram:ApplicableHeaderTradeDelivery/ram:DespatchAdviceReferencedDocument/ram:IssuerAssignedIDNext step
Create an XRechnung from your PDF
The converter reads the invoice and shows the fields it found before download, so you can check and correct the values. No PDF? Fill in the XRechnung directly in the form.
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