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View and validate e-invoices

Drop an XRechnung or ZUGFeRD file: you see it as a readable invoice and can check it against the official EN 16931 and XRechnung rules. Your file never leaves your browser.

Drop an e-invoice here

XRechnung (UBL or CII) as XML, or ZUGFeRD / Factur-X as PDF

Processed only in your browser – nothing is uploaded.

What is an e-invoice?

An e-invoice is an invoice in a structured, machine-readable format under the European standard EN 16931. Accounting software can take it over without anyone retyping it. A PDF alone is therefore not an e-invoice – not even when it arrives by e-mail.

Since 1 January 2025, businesses in Germany must be able to receive e-invoices from other businesses. Issuing them has transition periods: from 2027, businesses with a prior-year turnover above €800,000 must send e-invoices, from 2028 all of them. Small-amount invoices up to €250 are exempt.

XRechnung and ZUGFeRD: two routes to an e-invoice

XRechnung is Germany's e-invoice standard. It is a pure XML file in one of two syntaxes – UBL or CII – and adds German rules to EN 16931, for example on the buyer reference and the seller's contact details. Public-sector buyers require it, and it is common between businesses too.

ZUGFeRD – Factur-X in France – is a hybrid format: a PDF that people read as usual, with an embedded XML file for the software. It counts as an e-invoice from the BASIC profile up; the MINIMUM and BASIC WL profiles carry too little data. This tool reads both formats and, for ZUGFeRD, also shows the original PDF.

Step by step

How to read and check an e-invoice

  1. Drop the XML or PDF file into the box above. You see the invoice at once as a readable document: seller, buyer, lines, VAT and payment details.

  2. The "Official view" tab shows the same invoice as rendered by KoSIT, the German Coordination Office for IT Standards, with every field and its identifier (BT-…).

  3. "Check now" checks the file against the official rules: EN 16931, plus the German rules for an XRechnung. Every finding names the rule, explains it in plain words and points to the place in the file.

The result is "Valid", "Valid with warnings" or "Invalid". Errors make an invoice invalid. Warnings and notes rarely stop processing, but they show what the sender should improve.

What is the Leitweg-ID?

The Leitweg-ID routes an invoice to a German public-sector body, such as an authority or a municipality. It consists of blocks of digits and letters separated by hyphens: a coarse address, an optional fine address and a two-digit check number. The buyer gives it to you, usually with the order.

In an XRechnung the Leitweg-ID goes into the "Buyer reference" field (BT-10). XRechnung always requires this field (rule BR-DE-15); on invoices to businesses any other reference of the buyer, such as an order number, will do.

Frequent rules and what they mean

Every rule has an identifier that tells where it comes from: BR-… is from EN 16931, BR-CO-… checks calculations and conditions, BR-CL-… code lists, BR-DE-… are the German XRechnung rules, and PEPPOL-EN16931-R… are rules XRechnung takes over from the Peppol network.

BR-DE-15
The buyer reference is missing – for public-sector buyers, the Leitweg-ID.
BR-DE-2 … BR-DE-7
The seller's address or contact is incomplete: the city, post code, name, phone number or e-mail address is missing.
PEPPOL-EN16931-R010 / R020
The electronic address of the buyer or the seller is missing, such as an e-mail address.
BR-CO-10 … BR-CO-16
The totals do not add up: lines, net total, VAT, gross total or amount due.
BR-DE-19
The IBAN for a SEPA credit transfer is invalid.
BR-CL-23
A unit of measure is not a permitted code, such as C62 for piece or HUR for hour.
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is the tool free?

Yes. You can view and check as many e-invoices as you like – no sign-up, no account.

Is my invoice uploaded?

No. The file is read and checked only in your browser. It is not transmitted to us or to anyone else, and it is not stored.

Which files can I check?

XRechnung XML files in the UBL (invoice and credit note) and CII syntaxes, and ZUGFeRD and Factur-X invoices as PDF. Other EN 16931 invoices are checked against the European standard.

Is the check binding?

The tool uses the official rules from the KoSIT validator configuration – the same ones the official validator uses; their version is shown with the result. The result does not replace legal or tax advice.

What does "Valid with warnings" mean?

The invoice breaks no mandatory rule, but one or more recommendations, for example on how a phone number is written. It can usually be processed; the warnings show what the sender can improve.

What should I do when an invoice I received is invalid?

Point the sender to the findings and ask for a corrected invoice. The rule identifier and the explanation help them or their software vendor find the error quickly.

Does my business have to be able to receive e-invoices?

Yes. Since 1 January 2025, every business in Germany must be able to accept e-invoices from other businesses. An e-mail inbox is enough for that; to read them you need a program that displays the format – this tool, for example.

About this tool

The e-invoice checker is a free tool by ZETL CRM. It checks with the EN 16931 and XRechnung rules from the XRechnung validator configuration of the German Coordination Office for IT Standards (KoSIT); the official view comes from their XRechnung visualization. Both are licensed under the Apache License 2.0. The rules run in your browser on SaxonJS by Saxonica.

Licence notices

SaxonJS — The copyright in the Software belongs to Saxonica Ltd, except for third-party components listed in the documentation that are distributed under license.

DISCLAIMER. THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS." ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

Validator configuration XRechnung, XRechnung visualization — Copyright Koordinierungsstelle für IT-Standards (KoSIT). Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0). Distributed on an "AS IS" basis, without warranties or conditions of any kind.

Want to write e-invoices yourself?

With ZETL CRM you create quotes and invoices and send them as XRechnung or ZUGFeRD – checked against the same rules. Getting started is free.

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