BR-DE-17
Invoice Type Code Invalid (BT-3)
What This Error Means
The invoice type code in BT-3 must be one of the values permitted for XRechnung: 380 (Commercial Invoice), 381 (Credit Note), 384 (Corrected Invoice), 389 (Self-billed Invoice), 875 (Partial Construction Invoice), 876 (Partial Final Construction Invoice), or 877 (Final Construction Invoice). Other UNTDID 1001 codes are not accepted.
Why this happens
BR-DE-17 fires when the invoice type code (BT-3) contains a value that, although valid in the broad UNTDID 1001 code list, is not in the subset XRechnung permits. XRechnung restricts the allowed values to: 380 (commercial invoice), 381 (credit note), 384 (corrected invoice), 389 (self-billed invoice) and the construction-industry codes 875, 876, 877. The error commonly arises from ERP systems that emit codes such as 326 (partial invoice) or 393 (factored invoice), or that put a credit note into an Invoice document with code 380 instead of using a proper CreditNote with 381.
How to Fix It
Set cbc:InvoiceTypeCode to one of: 380, 381, 384, 389, 875, 876, 877. For standard invoices use 380. For credit notes use 381.
Step-by-step
1) Decide what the document actually is. A normal invoice = 380. A credit note (reducing an earlier invoice) = 381, and it should be issued as a UBL CreditNote, not an Invoice. A corrected invoice = 384. Self-billing = 389. Construction down-payment/partial/final invoices = 875/876/877. 2) Set cbc:InvoiceTypeCode to the chosen value. 3) If you set 381, switch the root element/namespace to CreditNote accordingly. 4) Map any internal/proprietary ERP type codes to the XRechnung subset during export. 5) Re-validate.
<!-- Standard invoice --> <cbc:InvoiceTypeCode>380</cbc:InvoiceTypeCode> <!-- Credit note --> <cbc:InvoiceTypeCode>381</cbc:InvoiceTypeCode>
Fix Automatically
Upload your invoice to our Smart Repair engine. It will detect and fix BR-DE-17 errors automatically with a GoBD audit trail.
Open Smart RepairFrequently asked questions
Which type code do I use for a normal invoice?
Use 380 (commercial invoice) for a standard outgoing invoice. This is by far the most common value and is always accepted by XRechnung.
How do I issue a credit note?
Use type code 381 and issue the document as a UBL CreditNote (with the CreditNote namespace), not as an Invoice with a negative amount. Reference the original invoice number in BT-25.
What are codes 875, 876, 877 for?
They are construction-industry invoice types: 875 partial construction invoice (Abschlagsrechnung), 876 partial final invoice, and 877 final construction invoice (Schlussrechnung).
Related Errors
Other commonly encountered validation errors