CII Factur-X

Factur-X - ZUGFeRD common publication (EN). (opens new window)

Factur-X is a French-German standard for electronic invoices that combines two things in one file:

• A PDF version that people can read easily
• An XML file with structured data that software can use to automate invoice processing

It's the first real-world example of a European e-invoicing standard called EN 16931, which the European Commission published on October 16, 2017.

Factur-X is the same as the ZUGFeRD 2.3 format.

The invoice comes in a special type of PDF (called PDF/A-3), which not only looks like a normal invoice you can read but also includes all the information needed to resolve issues—like if something doesn’t match with a purchase order or delivery. At the same time, it includes the invoice data in XML format (using a format called CII D22B), which lets accounting systems process the invoice automatically.

Below are the XML examples which can be present in the PDF.

XML Examples