invalid_text_representation invalid input syntax for type bigint: “…” — 22P02

Symptoms

A string given where a bigint was expected is not a valid integer. PostgreSQL raises SQLSTATE 22P02 (invalid_text_representation).

• Non-numeric text, decimals, or stray characters in an integer field.
• Common with empty strings or thousands separators.
• The message echoes the offending value.

What the server log shows

ERROR:  invalid input syntax for type bigint: "12,345"

Why PostgreSQL raises this — what the manual says

Section 8.1.1 Integer Types:

“The bigint type is designed to be used when the range of the integer type is insufficient.”

The bigint input function parses the text as a base-10 integer. Anything that isn’t a clean integer (commas, decimals, letters, blank) cannot be parsed and is rejected with 22P02.

Common causes

• Thousands separators or currency symbols in the value.
• An empty string passed instead of NULL.
• A decimal value where an integer is required.

How to fix it

1. Strip separators/symbols and pass a clean integer.
2. Use NULL (not '') for missing values.
3. Round/cast decimals appropriately before insert (e.g. round(x)::bigint).

Related & next steps

• SQLSTATE 22P02 — Invalid Text Representation (full reference)
• Message: invalid input syntax for type double precision
• Glossary: Integer types

Reference: PostgreSQL 18 Section 8.1 “Numeric Types”.