E-Invoicing in Germany 2025–2027: XRechnung, ZUGFeRD & B2B Mandate
Germany runs two parallel e-invoicing systems: XRechnung for public-sector B2G invoices (mandatory since 2020) and a structured B2B mandate rolling out from 2025. Whether you invoice a federal ministry or a private company, aiDoks validates and generates the right format.
27 November 2020: all suppliers invoicing German federal public-sector buyers must submit in XRechnung 3.x format via ZRE (federal portal) or the relevant state portal. Most German federal states followed within 1–2 years.
2025
B2B: large companies must receive
1 January 2025: all businesses must be technically able to receive structured e-invoices conforming to EN 16931 (UBL, CII or ZUGFeRD/Factur-X hybrid). Revenue above €800,000: must also send by 1 January 2026.
2027
B2B: all remaining businesses
1 January 2027: every German business must send structured e-invoices for domestic B2B transactions. ZUGFeRD / Factur-X (hybrid PDF + CII XML) counts as fully compliant and is the most common B2B choice.
Which format do you need?
XRechnung (B2G — public sector)
German CIUS of EN 16931, available in UBL and CII syntax. Mandatory for invoices to federal, state and most municipal buyers. Key additional field: Leitweg-ID (Buyer Reference) — the routing identifier issued by the buying authority with every purchase order. Submitted via ZRE, OZG-RE or state portals.
ZUGFeRD / Factur-X (B2B — private sector)
Hybrid PDF/A-3 with embedded CII XML — the same file is human-readable (by email or print) and machine-readable (by ERP). Five profiles from MINIMUM to EXTENDED; EN 16931 or higher is recommended for full interoperability. Identical to Factur-X — different name, same format.
PEPPOL BIS 3.0 (cross-border)
For cross-border invoices to EU customers, PEPPOL BIS 3.0 UBL is the standard. Germany has active PEPPOL access points; XRechnung UBL invoices are also PEPPOL-compatible (same UBL 2.1 base, different CustomizationID). Growing in domestic B2B too, especially in automotive and retail supply chains.
EN 16931 (baseline norm)
The European e-invoicing standard underlying all formats above. A plain EN 16931 CII or UBL invoice is valid for German B2B from 2025. Both XRechnung (CIUS) and PEPPOL BIS 3.0 (CIUS) are strict subsets of EN 16931 — every valid XRechnung is also a valid EN 16931 invoice.
What is the Leitweg-ID and why does it matter?
The Leitweg-ID (routing identifier) is a code in the format NNNN-NNNNNNN-NN assigned by German federal and state buying authorities. It must appear in the cbc:BuyerReference (UBL) or ram:BuyerReference (CII) field of every XRechnung invoice sent to a public-sector buyer. The authority includes it in the purchase order — if you did not receive one, contact your buyer's accounts-payable team before submitting. Without a valid Leitweg-ID the government portal rejects the invoice automatically; the 30-day payment clock does not start until a passing invoice is submitted.
Common XRechnung validation errors
BR-DE-1 — Buyer Reference (Leitweg-ID) missing or empty.
BR-DE-15 — Seller electronic address absent. XRechnung requires an EndpointID with schemeID="EM" (email) or a PEPPOL participant ID.
BR-DE-21 — CustomizationID wrong. Must be the exact XRechnung 3.0 URN: urn:cen.eu:en16931:2017#compliant#urn:xeinkauf.de:kosit:xrechnung_3.0.
BR-CO-15 — Total payable amount mismatch. Sum of line totals ± allowances/charges must equal the payable amount, rounded to 2 decimal places.
B2B mandate: what formats qualify?
The Wachstumschancengesetz (passed March 2024) requires structured invoices based on EN 16931. The following formats are explicitly accepted: UBL 2.1 (PEPPOL BIS 3.0 or plain EN 16931 UBL), UN/CEFACT CII (EN 16931 CII), and ZUGFeRD / Factur-X 2.x / 1.x (PDF/A-3 with embedded CII). Plain PDF and paper invoices can still be sent if the recipient consents — but from 2027 that consent exception ends for all businesses.
E-invoicing in Germany: FAQ
Is e-invoicing mandatory in Germany?
Yes, in two phases. B2G (invoices to federal and state public-sector buyers) has been mandatory since 27 November 2020 in XRechnung format. For B2B, large companies (revenue > €800M) must be able to receive structured e-invoices from 1 January 2025; all businesses must send structured e-invoices by 1 January 2027. The mandate is based on EU Directive 2014/55/EU and the German Wachstumschancengesetz (Growth Opportunities Act).
What format do I need for German public-sector (B2G) invoices?
XRechnung 3.x — the German Core Invoice Usage Specification (CIUS) of EN 16931. It is mandatory for invoices to federal buyers submitted through ZRE (Zentrale Rechnungseingangsplattform des Bundes), OZG-RE or state portals. The key additional field is the Leitweg-ID (Buyer Reference), which every German public authority issues with the order. Both UBL and CII syntax are accepted by the portals.
What is the B2B e-invoicing timeline for Germany?
1 January 2025: all businesses must be able to receive structured e-invoices (EN 16931-compliant UBL or CII). 1 January 2026: businesses with annual revenue above €800,000 must also send structured e-invoices. 1 January 2027: all remaining businesses must send structured e-invoices. ZUGFeRD / Factur-X (hybrid PDF + XML) counts as a valid format for B2B.
What is ZUGFeRD and how does it relate to Factur-X?
ZUGFeRD and Factur-X are the same technical format — a PDF/A-3 file with a human-readable invoice AND a machine-readable CII XML document embedded inside. ZUGFeRD is the German brand name (maintained by FeRD); Factur-X is the French/European brand name (maintained by FNFE-mpe). ZUGFeRD 2.x = Factur-X 1.x. Both are valid for German B2B e-invoicing from 2025.
What is the Leitweg-ID and where do I find it?
The Leitweg-ID (routing identifier) is a 4-segment code assigned by German federal and state buyers to identify their invoicing address, for example 04011000-12345-67. It must appear in the Buyer Reference field (cbc:BuyerReference in UBL, ram:BuyerReference in CII) of every XRechnung invoice. The buying authority sends it with the purchase order. Without a valid Leitweg-ID the government portal rejects the invoice immediately.
What happens if I send a non-compliant invoice to a German authority?
The portal (ZRE, OZG-RE or a state equivalent) rejects the invoice automatically — no human review occurs. The 30-day payment clock does not start until you submit a passing invoice. There is no grace period; the rejection is immediate and you receive an error report with the failing rule IDs. Validate with aiDoks before submission to catch errors in advance.