TL;DR — Quick Summary

Invalid location error in Carta Porte 3.0: fix postal code, neighborhood, municipality, coordinates, and Ubicacion nodes before stamping transfer or income CFDI.

Diagram

When stamping a CFDI with Carta Porte 3.0, one of the most frequent PAC or SAT validator rejections is invalid location: the XML Ubicacion node fails postal code, colonia, municipality, state, establishment RFC, or geographic coordinates rules. The message appears on freight, warehouse transfers, and haulage billing when the system captures addresses “as the driver knows them” instead of how Anexo 31 and complement XSD require.

This guide explains the error, technical and fiscal causes, and how to align origin, destination, and intermediate locations with SAT catalogs before resubmitting to the PAC.

The Error

During stamping you may see:

Invalid location in Carta Porte complement

Postal code does not match declared municipality

Colonia does not exist in catalog for the given CP

Geographic coordinates out of range or wrong format

Location RFC does not match invoice taxpayer

Schema validation error — Ubicacion node

Some PACs return the location index (first origin, second destination). Others only say “invalid location,” forcing review of the entire cartaporte20:Ubicaciones block. Until fixed, there is no UUID and the haul lacks a valid transfer invoice.

Cause of the Problem

Inconsistent postal code and colonia

SAT publishes c_Colonia tied to postal code. A valid CP with a colonia from another CP, free-text colonia instead of catalog key, or missing colonia when required causes rejection. Common on construction sites, industrial parks, and highway stops where operators know the street but not the fiscal colonia key.

Misaligned municipality and state

After territorial updates, ERP may store an old municipality name while c_Municipio keys changed. Validators check CP + municipality + state; any invalid triplet marks Ubicacion wrong even when the rest of the CFDI is fine.

Wrong location type and timestamps

Carta Porte distinguishes Origen, Destino, and intermediate points. Wrong type, timestamps without proper timezone or format, or arrival before departure produce errors summarized as invalid location. Multi-stop routes need logical order and mandatory fields per mode (Autotransporte, Ferroviario, etc.).

Coordinates and distance traveled

Modes requiring latitude and longitude reject sexagesimal values, comma decimals, or (0,0). DistanciaRecorrida must match origin and destination; extreme gaps trigger PAC business rules even when XSD partially passes.

RFC at location and transport figures

When Ubicacion references an RFC that does not match issuer or receiver rules, or transport figures and vehicle data are incomplete for the same trip, validation may fail on Ubicacion though users think it is only a postal issue.

Complement version and outdated ERP

Mixing Carta Porte 2.0 templates with CFDI 4.0 requiring 3.0, or skipping TMS patches after SAT notices, leaves obsolete Ubicacion attributes — reported as schema 307 or invalid location depending on PAC.

Step-by-Step Solution

1. Isolate XML and Ubicacion index

Export rejected XML. Find cartaporte20:Ubicacion (or current namespace). Note TipoUbicacion, IDUbicacion, CP, colonia, municipality, state, RFC, and coordinates per node. Log the exact PAC message.

2. Validate CP and colonia against SAT catalogs

Refresh c_CodigoPostal, c_Colonia, c_Municipio, and c_Estado in ERP. Per location:

  1. Confirm CP exists.
  2. Pick colonia by key, not display name only.
  3. Ensure municipality and state match CP.

For new physical addresses, use the official SEPOMEX CP and SAT-published colonia; do not invent keys.

3. Review RFC, type, and timestamps

Ensure RFC at the location matches the establishment (issuer, receiver, or authorized third party). Align FechaHoraSalidaLlegada with the real route and required timezone. Reorder intermediate stops if TMS exported wrong sequence.

4. Fix coordinates and distance

Get origin/destination lat/long from TMS or maps with six decimals and dot separator. Recalculate DistanciaRecorrida in required units (kilometers). Avoid zero distance on long hauls due to rounding.

5. Validate XSD and test stamp

Run SAT schema validation for Carta Porte 3.0 with CFDI 4.0. Fix all Ubicacion errors. Stamp a test transfer on the same route with symbolic amount before mass production.

Integrate CP validation in customer and warehouse master data.

Prevention

  • Sync SAT catalogs in TMS/ERP quarterly.
  • Store colonia key on address setup, not street text alone.
  • Reuse route templates that already stamped successfully.
  • Update Carta Porte module when SAT revises Anexo 31.
  • Train traffic staff: loading address may differ from billing address.

Summary

  • Invalid location in Carta Porte usually means CP, colonia, municipality, coordinates, or RFC misaligned with SAT catalogs.
  • Find the exact Ubicacion node in XML and fix with official keys, not free text.
  • Validate timestamps, location type, and distance before resubmitting to PAC.
  • A test stamp per route avoids operating without a valid transfer CFDI.