Element in the wrong place in FA(3) invoice XML

What this error means

The FA(3) schema didn't expect this element at this point in the file. The element is in the wrong order, has a typo in its name or doesn't exist in FA(3) at all.

You get the same message when a mandatory field is missing before the reported element. If Fa has no P_2, the schema reports the element that comes right after that spot (for example P_6), because that's where it was waiting for P_2.

Why the order matters

The FA(3) XSD schema defines the contents of each section as a sequence (xs:sequence): elements must appear in a fixed order. You can leave out optional fields, but the ones you include have to sit in their place. Fa starts with KodWaluty, P_1, P_1M and P_2, and Podmiot2 ends with the JST and GV fields, after NrKlienta and IDNabywcy. Element names are case-sensitive, so Nip is not NIP.

How to read the hint

With the error you see the element name, the line number and an "Expected at this point" list. These are the elements the schema would accept there instead of the one reported.

• One name on the list, for example P_1 when P_2 is reported. Either the reported element comes too early, or the listed field is missing before it. Look for that field further down the section: if it's there, swap the elements; if it isn't, add it.
• Several names. These are the elements that may appear here, optional ones included. For long sequences, such as the rate summary in Fa, the list can already be cut short in the message from libxml2, the library we use for schema validation, and may not include the field that's actually missing. In that case, compare the section with the order in the schema.
• "Did you mean…?" The name differs from an expected one by one or two letters, so it's almost certainly a typo: Nazw instead of Nazwa, NazwaBank instead of NazwaBanku. We don't suggest anything for names that differ only by a number, because P_13_1 and P_13_2 are different fields.

How to fix it

1. Open the file at the line given in the message.
2. Compare the element name with the expected list and fix the typo or the letter case.
3. If the name is correct, move the element to the right place or add the missing field before it.
4. Remove any element the FA(3) schema doesn't know at all (a custom field from your software, a leftover from another format). Extra information on the invoice goes in DodatkowyOpis, as a Klucz and Wartosc pair.

<!-- ❌ P_2 before P_1 -->
<Fa>
  <KodWaluty>PLN</KodWaluty>
  <P_2>FV/2026/10/014</P_2>
  <P_1>2026-10-08</P_1>
  ...
</Fa>
<!-- ✅ Order from the schema -->
<Fa>
  <KodWaluty>PLN</KodWaluty>
  <P_1>2026-10-08</P_1>
  <P_2>FV/2026/10/014</P_2>
  ...
</Fa>
<!-- ❌ GTU code as the element name -->
<GTU_12>1</GTU_12>
<!-- ✅ GTU code as the value of the GTU element -->
<GTU>GTU_12</GTU>

New errors may appear after the fix

After the first ordering error, the schema doesn't check the rest of that section or the sections nested in it. If you swap P_1 and P_2 in Fa, and further down in Adnotacje you have P_16 with the value 0, you'll only see the error for that value once the order is fixed. Our MF rules run independently of the schema, so their messages, for example about a comma in P_15, show up straight away. Keep checking the file until the list is empty.

A file built from an old FA(2) template stops earlier, at the namespace in the Faktura element. We describe the order of the main sections in our overview of the most common FA(3) errors. Once you've fixed it, check the invoice again.