KOSIT Validator Error Codes: Complete Guide to All 21 BR-DE XRechnung Validation Errors [2026]

Are you getting validation errors when submitting your XRechnung or ZUGFeRD invoice? This comprehensive guide explains all 21 BR-DE error codes plus common UBL and ZUGFeRD validation errors, what they mean, and how to fix them instantly.

When your e-invoice fails KOSIT validation, finding clear explanations for cryptic error codes like BR-DE-15 or UBL-CR-646 can be frustrating. Whether you're encountering "Leitweg-ID fehlt" or "Pflichtfeld fehlt" errors, this guide provides immediate solutions for every KOSIT validator error message.

What is the KOSIT Validator and Why Do E-Invoices Fail Validation?

The KOSIT (Koordinierungsstelle für IT-Standards) validator is Germany's official tool for validating electronic invoices in XRechnung and ZUGFeRD formats. With mandatory B2B e-invoicing now in effect (receive capability since January 2025, issue requirement for companies over €800k from January 2027), understanding these validation errors is crucial for successful invoice submission to German government portals and business partners.

The validator checks your invoice against:

• 21 German-specific business rules (BR-DE codes)
• European EN16931 standard requirements
• XML schema compliance (UBL or CII)
• PDF/A-3 standards (for ZUGFeRD only)

Most Common KOSIT Validator Error Codes and How to Fix Them

BR-DE-15: Leitweg-ID Missing or Invalid ("Leitweg-ID fehlt")

Error Message: "Das Element 'Buyer reference' (BT-10) muss übermittelt werden"

What it means: Your invoice is missing the Leitweg-ID, a mandatory routing identifier for German public sector invoices.

How to fix it:

1. Obtain the correct Leitweg-ID from your customer (format: XX-XXXXXX-XX-XXXXX)
2. Add it to the BuyerReference (BT-10) field
3. Ensure it doesn't exceed 40 characters
4. Include hyphens in the exact positions specified

BR-DE-21: Invalid XRechnung Specification Identifier

Error Message: "Specification identifier MUST have the value 'urn:cen.eu:en16931:2017#compliant#urn:xrechnung:3.0'"

What it means: Your invoice incorrectly identifies its format version, often mixing ZUGFeRD and XRechnung specifications.

How to fix it:

• For XRechnung 3.0: Use exactly urn:cen.eu:en16931:2017#compliant#urn:xrechnung:3.0
• For XRechnung 2.3: Use urn:cen.eu:en16931:2017#compliant#urn:xrechnung:2.3
• Don't mix ZUGFeRD profile identifiers with XRechnung

BR-DE-5, BR-DE-6, BR-DE-7: Missing Seller Contact Information ("Pflichtfeld fehlt")

BR-DE-5: "Seller city MUST be provided"

BR-DE-6: "Seller post code MUST be provided"

BR-DE-7: "Seller contact telephone number MUST be provided"

What it means: German regulations require complete seller contact details, unlike some EU countries.

How to fix it:

• BR-DE-5: Add seller's city name
• BR-DE-6: Include complete postal code
• BR-DE-7: Provide a valid phone number (with country code)

Complete BR-DE Error Code Reference (All 21 Codes)

BR-DE-1: Payment Information Required

Error Message: "When payment terms are given, payment information MUST be provided"

What it means: If you specify payment terms (BT-20), you must also provide payment instructions (BG-16).

How to fix it:

• Add IBAN and BIC in the payment means section
• Or add credit transfer information
• Or remove the payment terms field if not needed

BR-DE-2: Seller Contact Name Required

Error Message: "The Seller contact point (BG-6) MUST contain a contact person name (BT-41)"

What it means: If you include seller contact information, you must provide a contact name.

How to fix it: Add a person's name (e.g., "Max Mustermann") or department name (e.g., "Buchhaltung") in BT-41.

BR-DE-3: Seller Contact Email Required

Error Message: "The Seller contact point (BG-6) MUST contain an email address (BT-43)"

What it means: If seller contact information is provided, email is mandatory.

How to fix it: Add a valid email address in the BT-43 field (e.g., "buchhaltung@firma.de").

BR-DE-4: Seller Contact Email Format

Error Message: "The seller contact email (BT-43) MUST be a valid email format"

What it means: The email address format is invalid.

How to fix it: Ensure the email follows standard format (user@domain.tld) without special characters.

BR-DE-8: Delivery Date Code

Error Message: "The tax point date code (BT-8) MUST be provided when tax point date is specified"

What it means: When specifying a tax point date, you must include the date type code.

How to fix it: Add the appropriate tax point date code (typically "35" for delivery date, "432" for period end).

BR-DE-9, BR-DE-10: Payment Means Code Required

BR-DE-9: "Payment means type code in BT-81 MUST be provided"

BR-DE-10: "Payment terms (BT-20) MUST be provided when payment means is given"

How to fix it:

• BR-DE-9: Add payment means code (30 = credit transfer, 58 = SEPA credit, 59 = SEPA direct debit)
• BR-DE-10: Add payment terms text describing when payment is due

BR-DE-11: Deliver to Party Name

Error Message: "If delivery information is given, the Deliver to party name (BT-70) MUST be provided"

What it means: When specifying delivery address, you must include the recipient name.

How to fix it: Add the delivery recipient's name in BT-70, or remove the entire delivery party section if not needed.

BR-DE-12: Allowed Payment Means Codes

Error Message: "Payment means code MUST be one of the allowed values"

What it means: Germany restricts which payment type codes are valid.

Allowed codes:

• 10: Cash
• 30: Credit transfer (non-SEPA)
• 48: Credit card
• 54: Credit
• 55: Debit
• 58: SEPA credit transfer
• 59: SEPA direct debit
• ZZZ: Mutually defined

BR-DE-13: Removed (No Longer Applicable)

This code was removed from the XRechnung specification and is no longer validated.

BR-DE-14: Invoice Reference in Credit Notes

Error Message: "For credit notes, the preceding invoice reference (BT-25) MUST be provided"

What it means: Credit notes (type code 381) must reference the original invoice being corrected.

How to fix it: Add the original invoice number in the BT-25 field (Preceding Invoice reference).

BR-DE-16: Tax Registration Required

Error Message: "The seller VAT identifier (BT-31) or the seller tax registration identifier (BT-32) MUST be provided"

What it means: German invoices must include either VAT ID (USt-IdNr.) or tax number (Steuernummer).

How to fix it:

• Add VAT ID in BT-31 (format: DExxxxxxxxx)
• OR add tax number in BT-32 (format: varies by state)
• At least one of these is mandatory

BR-DE-17: VAT Breakdown Calculation

Error Message: "The tax amount in VAT breakdown MUST equal taxable amount multiplied by VAT rate"

What it means: Your VAT calculations are mathematically incorrect.

How to fix it:

1. Recalculate: VAT amount = (Taxable amount × VAT rate) / 100
2. Round to 2 decimal places using standard rounding
3. Ensure rounding differences don't exceed €0.01 per breakdown

BR-DE-18: IBAN Format Validation

Error Message: "The payment account identifier (BT-84) MUST be a valid IBAN"

What it means: The IBAN format is invalid or contains errors.

How to fix it:

• German IBAN format: DE + 2 check digits + 8 bank code + 10 account number (22 chars total)
• No spaces or special characters
• Verify IBAN checksum is correct

BR-DE-19: Payment Account Name

Error Message: "The payment account name (BT-85) SHOULD be provided when IBAN is given"

Severity: Warning (not fatal)

What it means: When providing an IBAN, the account holder name is recommended.

How to fix it: Add the account holder's name in BT-85 (usually the seller's legal name).

BR-DE-20: BIC Conditional Requirement

Error Message: "The payment service provider identifier (BT-86) MUST be provided for non-SEPA transfers"

What it means: BIC/SWIFT code is required for international (non-SEPA) bank transfers.

How to fix it:

• For SEPA countries: BIC optional (automatic routing via IBAN)
• For non-SEPA: Add BIC in BT-86 (8 or 11 characters)

Common UBL and CII Syntax Errors

UBL-CR-646: SubInvoiceLine Not Allowed

Error Message: "A UBL invoice should not include the SubInvoiceLine"

What it means: Your invoice contains sub-invoice line elements that aren't permitted in XRechnung UBL format.

How to fix it:

1. Remove all SubInvoiceLine elements from your XML
2. Flatten hierarchical line items into simple invoice lines
3. Check your ERP export settings to disable sub-line generation

PEPPOL-EN16931-R008: Empty Elements Detected

Error Message: "Document MUST not contain empty elements"

What it means: Your XML contains tags with no content, which XRechnung 3.0 strictly prohibits.

How to fix it:

• Remove all empty XML tags (e.g., <Description></Description>)
• Ensure optional fields are completely omitted if not used
• Validate that your XML generator doesn't create placeholder tags

XRechnung Version-Specific Validation Errors

XRechnung 3.0 New Mandatory Fields (Since February 2024)

BT-34 & BT-49: Electronic Address Required

"Seller electronic address MUST be provided"

"Buyer electronic address MUST be provided"

What it means: XRechnung 3.0 made electronic addresses mandatory for both parties.

How to fix it:

• Add seller's email in BT-34 field
• Include buyer's email in BT-49 field
• Use format: EM:email@domain.com for email addresses

BR-CO-10 & BR-S-08: VAT Calculation Errors

Error Message: "VAT amount = taxable amount × (rate / 100)"

What it means: Your VAT calculations don't match the required precision (2 decimal places).

How to fix it:

1. Recalculate: VAT = Taxable Amount × (VAT Rate / 100)
2. Round to exactly 2 decimal places
3. Ensure sum of line-level VAT equals invoice-level VAT

ZUGFeRD Validation Errors and PDF/A Compliance

PDF/A-3 Compliance Failures ("PDF/A nicht konform")

Common ZUGFeRD-specific errors:

• ISO 19005-3:2012 Violations:
• • "XMP Metadata invalid value"
• • "Embedded file not found"
• • "PDF/A identification missing"

How to fix PDF/A errors:

1. Ensure PDF is saved as PDF/A-3
2. Embed XML as factur-x.xml (for ZUGFeRD 2.x)
3. Include proper XMP metadata describing the embedded invoice

ZUGFeRD Profile Mismatches ("Profil nicht unterstützt")

Error Message: "ZUGFeRD profile not supported for this validation"

Available profiles and when to use them:

• MINIMUM: Basic invoice data only
• BASIC: Standard business invoices
• EN 16931: European standard compliance
• XRECHNUNG: German public sector (use XRechnung format instead)
• EXTENDED: Additional custom fields

How to Validate Your E-Invoice Before Submission

Step-by-Step Validation Process

1. Choose the correct format:
   • XRechnung for German public sector
   • ZUGFeRD for B2B with PDF requirement
2. Select the right version:
   • XRechnung 3.0 (current)
   • ZUGFeRD 2.3 (latest)
3. Pre-validate mandatory fields:
   • Leitweg-ID (BR-DE-15)
   • Seller contact details (BR-DE-5, 6, 7)
   • Tax registration (BR-DE-16)
   • Electronic addresses (BT-34, BT-49)
4. Use Invoice-Converter.com's free validator:
   • Upload your XML or PDF file
   • Get instant error explanations in plain language
   • Download corrected invoice

Quick validation tip: Use our PDF to XRechnung converter to automatically generate compliant invoices, or try our universal converter for all formats.

Common Search Queries Answered

"Was bedeutet Fehler BR-DE-1?"

BR-DE-1 requires payment information when payment terms are provided. Include IBAN/BIC or payment method details.

"Wie validiere ich eine XRechnung?"

Use Invoice-Converter.com's free XRechnung validator or the official KOSIT validator tool. Upload your XML file and review the validation report.

"E-Rechnung wird abgelehnt - was tun?"

Check the validation report for specific error codes, fix mandatory field errors first (BR-DE codes), then address calculation and format issues.

"XRechnung Pflichtfelder Liste"

Mandatory fields include: Invoice number, issue date, seller details, buyer details, Leitweg-ID (public sector), tax information, line items, and totals.

Complete BR-DE Quick Reference Table

Industry-Specific Validation Challenges

Automotive Sector

Differential Taxation

Special VAT rules for used parts require specific tax category codes. Use "AE" (reverse charge) or "E" (exempt) with proper justification text.

Healthcare

Medical Device Identification

UDI (Unique Device Identification) must follow specific formatting in item descriptions.

Construction

Reverse Charge Procedures

Bauleistungen (construction services) require special tax category "AE" with reference "Reverse charge".

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Stop struggling with cryptic error messages. Invoice-Converter.com provides:

• Instant error translation - German and English explanations
• One-click fixes - Automatic correction of common errors
• Format conversion - Convert between XRechnung and ZUGFeRD
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Stay Updated with E-Invoice Validation Changes

E-invoicing regulations and validation rules change regularly. Subscribe to Invoice-Converter.com's newsletter for:

• New error code explanations
• Version update notifications
• Industry-specific validation guides
• B2B e-invoicing mandate updates

Last updated: January 2026 | Version: XRechnung 3.0.2, ZUGFeRD 2.3

Keywords: KOSIT validator, XRechnung validation errors, ZUGFeRD errors, E-Rechnung validieren, BR-DE-15, BR-DE-1 through BR-DE-21, Leitweg-ID fehlt, Pflichtfeld fehlt, XRechnung 3.0 errors, e-invoice validation, KOSIT error codes, all BR-DE error codes, ZUGFeRD validation, German e-invoicing 2026