Invalid Datetime Format — SQLSTATE 22007

SQLSTATE 22007 condition invalid_datetime_format class 22 — Data Exception severity ERROR
Reproduced & verified on PostgreSQL 14.23, 15.18, 16.14, 17.10 and 18.4 — identical message on every version.
Last reviewed 29 May 2025 · Reproduced live with the SQL on this page.

! Symptoms Free

A date/time string did not match the expected format.

  • The error is written to the server log and returned to the client carrying SQLSTATE 22007.
  • Any driver (libpq, JDBC, psycopg, npgsql, pgx) surfaces this code in its error object so you can branch on it programmatically.
  • PL/pgSQL can trap it by name: EXCEPTION WHEN invalid_datetime_format THEN.

1 Environment & reproduce Free

Severity: ERROR  |  PostgreSQL versions: 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17

Reproduce with the exact statement and read the full message in the server log (raise log_min_messages / set log_min_error_statement for more context).

? Root cause Free

PostgreSQL could not parse the text as a valid date, time, or timestamp.

Common causes:

  • Ambiguous or non-ISO date strings.
  • A wrong DateStyle setting.
  • Locale-specific formats.
  • Empty strings cast to a date type.

3 Recovery & verify Free

Steps to resolve 22007:

  1. Parse explicitly: to_date(txt, 'YYYY-MM-DD') or to_timestamp(...) with the exact format.
  2. Store and pass dates in ISO 8601 (YYYY-MM-DD) form.
  3. Normalize input and map empty strings to NULL before casting.

Reference: PostgreSQL error codes — Class 22 (Data Exception).