Error code
V09 — Invalid Referral Number
Invalid referring number
The referring physician number on the claim isn't valid; it must be 6 digits and not your own number.
What to do: Check the referral letter for the referring provider's billing number, correct it and resubmit.
- Code
- V09
- Description
- Invalid Referral Number
Explanation
Updated October 26, 2026
The referring physician number on the claim isn't valid. Check the 6-digit number and resubmit.
What it means
V09 ("Invalid Referral Number") means the referring provider number on the claim is not valid, so the claim was rejected.
This is a format check: the claim was rejected before OHIP assessed the service itself, so it usually pays once the field is corrected.
Related checks under AC4 say a referral number must be 6 digits and can't be the billing physician's own number.
Common causes
- A typing error in the referring number
- Fewer than 6 digits entered
- Your own billing number used as the referring number
How to fix it
- Check the referral letter for the referring provider's billing number.
- Correct the referring number on the claim.
- Resubmit the corrected claim. Resubmit within three months of the service date if you can. If that window has passed but the claim was first submitted on time, use the Ministry's stale-dated resubmission process: one stale-dated claim file through MCEDT, then an email to [email protected] with the Error Reports showing the original submission date.
Don't resubmit if
- You haven't changed anything. Sending the same claim again will reject the same way.
How APEX handles it
APEX reads your error reports and remittance advice from MCEDT and lists claims rejected with this code in its Correction Centre for you to correct and resubmit. See how APEX works · Pricing
Related codes: AC4, EQ6, ARF, ARP, ERF