About error codes PEPPOL-EN16931-R010 / PEPPOL-EN16931-R020. R010: the buyer electronic address is missing. R020: the seller electronic address is missing.
What does PEPPOL-EN16931-R010 / PEPPOL-EN16931-R020 mean?
The validator shows this message (as worded in the official rules):
[PEPPOL-EN16931-R010]-Buyer electronic address MUST be provided
[PEPPOL-EN16931-R020]-Seller electronic address MUST be providedEvery Peppol invoice must contain the electronic address of the buyer (BT-49) and the seller (BT-34), in cbc:EndpointID with a scheme. R010 applies to the buyer, R020 to the seller. Without that address the network does not know where the invoice goes or where it comes from.
Common causes
- The customer’s (R010) or your own (R020) company or VAT number is not filled in, so the software cannot build an address.
- The customer is a private individual or a foreign party without Peppol registration.
- An integration between two systems does not pass the address on.
How to fix it as the sender
- Fill in the company or VAT number in the customer record and in your own company settings.
- Use the Peppol ID lookup to check whether the customer is on Peppol and under which ID.
- If the customer is not on Peppol, use another channel such as email.
Received an invoice with this error?
If you get a message about R010, check that your supplier has your identifier and give them your Peppol ID.
Example in the XML
❌ Wrong
<cac:AccountingCustomerParty>
<cac:Party>
<!-- no EndpointID -->
<cac:PartyName><cbc:Name>Klant NV</cbc:Name></cac:PartyName>
...✅ Correct
<cac:AccountingCustomerParty>
<cac:Party>
<cbc:EndpointID schemeID="0208">0987654394</cbc:EndpointID>
<cac:PartyName><cbc:Name>Klant NV</cbc:Name></cac:PartyName>
...Both snippets come from a complete test invoice that we checked with our validator: the wrong version gives exactly this message, the correct version no errors at all.
Good to know
The difference with CL008: with R010 and R020 the address is missing entirely; with CL008 it is present but with an invalid scheme.
Check your invoice
Drop your XML into the free validator. You see right away whether this error still occurs, with a link to the explanation for every message.
Official rule
The full rule with its technical test (Schematron) is in the official Peppol documentation:
Related error codes
- PEPPOL-EN16931-CL008: The scheme (schemeID) of the seller or buyer electronic address is not from the official Peppol code list.
- BR-CO-26: The invoice contains no number that lets the buyer identify the seller automatically: no seller identifier, no legal registration number and no VAT number.
Frequently asked questions about PEPPOL-EN16931-R010 / PEPPOL-EN16931-R020
What is the electronic address?
The Peppol address of a company, such as 0208:0123456789 or 0106:12345678. In the XML it is in cbc:EndpointID with schemeID.
Why two codes on one page?
R010 and R020 are the same rule, for the buyer and the seller. Cause and fix are the same.