Fix BR-CL-1: Invoice type code (BT-3) invalid

BR-CL-1 in your own invoice? Upload the file and find every error in seconds.

What does BR-CL-1 mean?

BT-3 tells the recipient what kind of document this is - invoice, credit note, correction. EN 16931 allows only numeric codes from UNTDID 1001 for it, so that machines can classify the document unambiguously.

Common causes of BR-CL-1

Free text such as 'RECHNUNG' or 'Invoice' sits in the field instead of a numeric code.
A code outside the EN 16931 subset of UNTDID 1001 was used.
For a credit note '380' was wrongly set instead of '381'.

How to fix BR-CL-1

Find the faulty spot in the XML. Open the XML of the invoice and go to field BT-3 along this XPath://rsm:ExchangedDocument/ram:TypeCode
Apply the fix. Code the invoice type (BT-3) with a code from UNTDID 1001, e.g. '380' (commercial invoice), '381' (credit note), '384' (corrected invoice), '389' (self-billed invoice), '326' (partial invoice). No free text.
Validate again. Save the file and validate it again to check that BR-CL-1 is no longer reported.

Concrete fix

Code the invoice type (BT-3) with a code from UNTDID 1001, e.g. '380' (commercial invoice), '381' (credit note), '384' (corrected invoice), '389' (self-billed invoice), '326' (partial invoice). No free text.

XPath//rsm:ExchangedDocument/ram:TypeCode

Before / after: the XML example

This is the spot in question before and after the fix (Cross Industry Invoice, ZUGFeRD/Factur-X).

Wrong

<rsm:ExchangedDocument>
  <ram:ID>RE-2026-001</ram:ID>
  <ram:TypeCode>RECHNUNG</ram:TypeCode>
</rsm:ExchangedDocument>

Correct

<rsm:ExchangedDocument>
  <ram:ID>RE-2026-001</ram:ID>
  <ram:TypeCode>380</ram:TypeCode>
</rsm:ExchangedDocument>

Frequent questions about BR-CL-1

Which code do I use for a normal invoice?

The code '380' (commercial invoice). For a credit note use '381', for a corrected invoice '384'.

May I enter the invoice type as text such as 'Rechnung'?

No. BT-3 demands a numeric code from UNTDID 1001. Free text leads to rejection.

Related error codes

Check BR-CL-1 automatically

Instead of digging through the XML by hand you can validate your ZUGFeRD or XRechnung file online – upload the PDF or the XML and you get every error with rule ID, affected field, fix and XPath, as a readable report or as JSON through the API.

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