Process for the of aromatic carboxamides from aromatic carboxylic acids and ureaProcess for the preparation of aromatic carboxamides of the formula (I) ##STR1## in which R.sub.1, R.sub.2, and R.sub.3 are identical or different and are hydrogen, fluorine, chlorine or bromine atoms, or are alkyl(C.sub.1 -C.sub.4), hydroxyl or nitro groups, or R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 form an aromatic ring of 5 or 6 ring members, which ring may be substituted by fluorine, chlorine or bromine atoms or by alkyl(C.sub.1 -C.sub.4), hydroxyl or nitro groups, which involves reacting aromatic carboxylic acids of the formula (II) ##STR2## in which R.sub.1, R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 are as defined above with urea in an inert organic solvent with the addition of a catalytic amount of phosphorous acid.