what happens if you use: @Pattern(regex="[A-Za-z0-9]+", message="#{messages.someErrorMsg}") View the original post : http://www.jboss.com/index.html?module=bb&op=viewtopic&p=3957195#3957195 Reply to the post : http://www.jboss.com/index.html?module=bb&op=posting&mode=reply&p=3957195