How do I fix BR-CO-09?

Enter the VAT ID with its country code (ISO 3166, Greece EL), without spaces. The tax number has a field of its own (BT-32); it doesn't go into the VAT ID. The rule applies to your VAT ID (BT-31), your tax representative's (BT-63) and the customer's (BT-48).

All error codes · Error code · EN 16931 (CEN)

BR-CO-09 VAT ID without country prefix

Every VAT ID in the invoice must start with its country code, such as DE123456789. A number without the code, or a tax number in its place, breaks the rule.

The rule's official text

The Seller VAT identifier (BT-31), the Seller tax representative VAT identifier (BT-63) and the Buyer VAT identifier (BT-48) shall have a prefix in accordance with ISO code ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 by which the country of issue may be identified. Nevertheless, Greece may use the prefix ‘EL’.

An error: the validator rejects the invoice, and recipients may refuse it.

What usually causes it

The VAT ID was entered without DE.
The VAT ID field holds the German tax number, such as 12/345/67890.
The customer's VAT ID is incomplete or starts with a space.

How to fix it

Enter the VAT ID with its country code (ISO 3166, Greece EL), without spaces.
The tax number has a field of its own (BT-32); it doesn't go into the VAT ID.
The rule applies to your VAT ID (BT-31), your tax representative's (BT-63) and the customer's (BT-48).

Where it sits in the XML

UBL: cac:PartyTaxScheme/cbc:CompanyID (with cac:TaxScheme/cbc:ID = VAT)
CII: ram:SpecifiedTaxRegistration/ram:ID with schemeID="VA"

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docket writes every invoice as a ZUGFeRD PDF and an XRechnung at once, following exactly these rules. More on e-invoicing in docket.