BR-03: The issue date is missing
This code shows up when an electronic invoice is validated. Here is what it means, why it fires, and what to change in the file.
Why this code appears
No issue date (BT-2). It sets the VAT chargeable event and the starting point of payment terms: an undated invoice is not due.
How to fix it
Fill IssueDateTime/DateTimeString with format 102, that is eight digits YYYYMMDD: 20260901 for 1 September 2026.
What it looks like in the file
These two snippets are replayed against our own checker on a complete invoice, every time the site is built. The first one raises this code, the second one does not.
What raises the code:
Nothing. The field is simply absent from the file, and it is that absence the check reports.
What to write instead:
<ram:IssueDateTime><udt:DateTimeString format="102">20260901</udt:DateTimeString></ram:IssueDateTime>Where it happens
This code comes from EN 16931, the European e-invoicing standard. It concerns business term BT-2.