# BR-55

Quoted from a public specification. This page is not a validator, and it is not tax, legal, or accounting advice.

- Country: EU
- Syntax: UBL
- Severity: fatal
- Statement language: en
- Last verified: 2026-10-18

## Official statement

> Each Preceding Invoice reference (BG-3) shall contain a Preceding Invoice reference (BT-25).

Source: https://docs.peppol.eu/poacc/billing/3.0/rules/ubl-tc434/BR-55/

Peppol BIS Billing 3.0, May 2026 release, EN 16931 model bound to UBL

Severity note: fatal, from the Flag column of the Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 UBL rules index retrieved 2026-10-18.

## Plain-language reading

Each Preceding Invoice reference (BG-3) must contain a Preceding Invoice reference (BT-25). The message says "shall contain" and starts with "Each". It ends with a period. The same words name the group and the term. The context is a billing reference. The published test checks that an invoice document reference id exists. It does not check that the id is non-blank.

## What to change

On each preceding invoice reference, send a preceding invoice reference (BT-25) as the invoice document reference id.

## Illustration

Illustration of the condition in the official statement. Not an example published by the source.

**Fails the stated condition.** A billing reference has no invoice document reference id.

**Passes the stated condition.** That billing reference has an invoice document reference id.

## Published context and test

Copied from the source. Not reimplemented on this page.

```
cac:BillingReference
```

```
exists(cac:InvoiceDocumentReference/cbc:ID)
```

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