*REST API › Endpoint reference › Finance › Credit notes*

# Validate a credit note

> Closes a draft credit note: checks compliance, assigns it a number against its series, signs it and locks it as immutable.

> **Fiscal document:** This operation numbers the document against the fiscal series, signs it and locks it. Voiding keeps the number.

> **Not reversible:** This operation cannot be undone.

Only from `draft`; from any other status it rejects the request without touching anything. A validated credit note is no longer edited: it is voided. It takes no body. It shares scope with invoices, just like its read. Returns the full credit note, the same projection as its GET.

`POST /api/v1/credit-notes/{creditNoteId}/validate` — scope `invoices:write`

Scope: `invoices:write` · 120/min · Idempotency-Key · If-Match · Not reversible · Fiscal document · MCP: `filmo_credit_notes_validate`

## Authorizations

Bearer API key with the scope below. `invoices:write`

## Headers

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `Idempotency-Key` | string | No | Unique identifier of the request, chosen by the client (a UUID works). Between 1 and 255 characters: an empty header is rejected with 400 `validation_error`, because the client would believe itself protected. Repeating the same key with the SAME body within 24 h returns the stored response without executing again, with the `Idempotent-Replay: true` header. With a DIFFERENT body it returns 422. It is the safe way to retry after a network timeout. |
| `If-Match` | string | No | Optimistic locking: the `ETag` you read from the resource (or `*`). If the resource changed since, the write is rejected with `412 precondition_failed` before doing anything; read it again and retry. Without the header the write always proceeds. |

## Path parameters

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `creditNoteId` | string | Yes | Credit note identifier. |

## Request examples

*Validate a credit note*

**cURL**

```bash
curl https://app.filmo.io/api/v1/credit-notes/cred_8f2a1c/validate \
  --request POST \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $FILMO_API_KEY" \
  --header "Idempotency-Key: $(uuidgen 2>/dev/null || cat /proc/sys/kernel/random/uuid)"
```

**Node.js**

```javascript
fetch('https://app.filmo.io/api/v1/credit-notes/cred_8f2a1c/validate', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    Authorization: 'Bearer YOUR_FILMO_API_KEY',
    'Idempotency-Key': crypto.randomUUID()
  }
})
```

**Python**

```python
import uuid
import requests

requests.post(
    "https://app.filmo.io/api/v1/credit-notes/cred_8f2a1c/validate",
    headers={
      "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_FILMO_API_KEY",
      "Idempotency-Key": str(uuid.uuid4())
    }
)
```

## Response

Response schema: `CreditNoteDto`

| Status | Description |
| --- | --- |
| 200 | Successful response. |
| 401 | Authentication failed (unauthorized, api_key_invalid, api_key_revoked, api_key_expired, api_key_owner_inactive, api_key_owner_not_admin). |
| 403 | Not allowed (insufficient_scope: the API key does not have the required scope, named in `requiredScope`; forbidden: the owner of the key lacks the permission the operation requires). `insufficient_scope` is answered before the request counts against the rate limit, so it carries no `RateLimit-*` headers; `forbidden` does. |
| 404 | Resource not found (not_found): it does not exist or is outside the scope of the API key. |
| 409 | Conflict (conflict): the current state of the resource prevents the operation, a request with that Idempotency-Key is already in progress, or another conditional write (`If-Match`) held the resource for more than five seconds. `errors[0].code` says which: `in_progress` and `lock_timeout` are solved by retrying; `invalid_state` is not, because the state of the resource forbids the operation. |
| 412 | Precondition failed (precondition_failed): the `If-Match` entity tag does not match the current representation. Read the resource again and retry. |
| 422 | Idempotency-Key reused (idempotency_key_reused): the same key was used before with a different body. Change the key. |
| 429 | Rate limit exceeded (rate_limited): retry after `Retry-After` seconds; `RateLimit-*` says which quota ran out. |
| 500 | Internal error (internal_error). |

**200**

| Name | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `data` | object | Credit note: what is refunded to the customer. The signed fiscal document, the tax breakdown and the lines are not published. |
| `data.id` | string | Credit note identifier. |
| `data.creditNoteNumber` | string | Credit note number; null while it is a draft. |
| `data.status` | string | Document lifecycle status: draft, validated or voided (the same values the `status` filter takes). `draft`, `validated`, `voided` |
| `data.issueDate` | string<date-time> | Issue date in ISO 8601 UTC; null if not recorded. |
| `data.currency` | string | Currency, as an ISO 4217 code. |
| `data.contactId` | string | Contact the credit note is issued to; null if not recorded. |
| `data.invoiceId` | string | Invoice this credit note rectifies; null if it is not attached to any. |
| `data.subTotal` | string | Subtotal before discounts and taxes, as a decimal string. |
| `data.taxesPrice` | string | Tax total, as a decimal string. |
| `data.netPrice` | string | Taxable base, as a decimal string. |
| `data.grossPrice` | string | Total including taxes, as a decimal string. |
| `data.createdAt` | string<date-time> | Creation date in ISO 8601 UTC. |
| `data.updatedAt` | string<date-time> | Last modification date in ISO 8601 UTC. |
| `meta` | object | Additional information about the response. |
| `meta.warnings` | object[] | Lifecycle warnings; present only when the operation is deprecated. |
| `meta.warnings.code` | string | Stable warning code. `deprecated` |
| `meta.warnings.message` | string | For people: what is deprecated, until when, and what to use. |
| `meta.warnings.sunset` | string | Day (YYYY-MM-DD) the operation stops being served. |
| `meta.warnings.replacement` | string | `operationId` of the operation to use instead, or null if there is none. |
| `meta.warnings.link` | string | Where the deprecation is documented (the changelog). |

*Example response · 200*

```json
{
  "data": {
    "id": "credit_note_9f3a2b",
    "creditNoteNumber": "2026-0001",
    "status": "draft",
    "issueDate": "2026-09-01T08:00:00.000Z",
    "currency": "EUR",
    "contactId": "contact_9f3a2b",
    "invoiceId": "invoice_9f3a2b",
    "subTotal": "120.00",
    "taxesPrice": "120.00",
    "netPrice": "120.00",
    "grossPrice": "120.00",
    "createdAt": "2026-09-01T08:00:00.000Z",
    "updatedAt": "2026-09-01T08:00:00.000Z"
  }
}
```

## Errors

| Status | Codes | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 404 | `not_found` | It does not exist or is outside the scope of the API key. |
| 409 | `conflict` | The current state of the resource prevents the operation, a request with that Idempotency-Key is already in progress, or another conditional write (`If-Match`) held the resource for more than five seconds. `errors[0].code` says which: `in_progress` and `lock_timeout` are solved by retrying; `invalid_state` is not, because the state of the resource forbids the operation. |
| 412 | `precondition_failed` | The `If-Match` entity tag does not match the current representation. Read the resource again and retry. |
| 422 | `idempotency_key_reused` | The same key was used before with a different body. Change the key. |

## Deprecation

This operation is not deprecated. Deprecations are announced with a Deprecation header and a sunset date.

---

Canonical URL: https://docs.filmo.io/rest-api/endpoint-reference/credit-notes/validate-a-credit-note  
Last updated: 2026-10-25