Free Factur-X & ZUGFeRD Validator (PDF + CII XML)

Validate Factur-X and ZUGFeRD 2.x PDF/A-3 invoices and their embedded CII XML against the official 1.08 schematron — all five profiles (MINIMUM, BASIC-WL, BASIC, EN 16931, EXTENDED). Upload the PDF directly. Free, no signup, instant report.

Validate a Factur-X PDF See all supported formats
  • Files are not stored
  • Hosted in the EU
  • No model training on your data

How the Factur-X / ZUGFeRD validator works

1

Upload the PDF (or raw CII XML)

Drop the Factur-X / ZUGFeRD PDF/A-3 file in. The server extracts the embedded factur-x.xml / ZUGFeRD-invoice.xml attachment automatically. If you only have the raw CII XML, you can upload that too.

2

Auto-detect profile, run profile rules

The validator reads the CustomizationID URN, identifies the profile (MINIMUM, BASIC-WL, BASIC, EN 16931 or EXTENDED) and applies the matching official Factur-X 1.08 schematron — including codelist enumerations (ISO 4217 currency, ISO 3166 country, UNCL codes).

3

Read the report and view extracted XML

See the profile name, rule IDs with their plain-English descriptions, and the extracted CII XML so you can inspect the actual invoice content embedded in the PDF. Re-upload after fixing — the validator runs again instantly.

What the Factur-X validator covers

All 5 conformance profiles

MINIMUM (header info only, no line items), BASIC-WL (without line items), BASIC (EN 16931 subset), EN 16931 (full European core, also called COMFORT), and EXTENDED (superset with additional UN/CEFACT structures). Each profile has its own schematron — the validator applies the right one based on the declared URN.

PDF extraction (PDFBox-powered)

The server uses Apache PDFBox to locate the embedded XML attachment in the PDF's /Names EmbeddedFiles tree or the /AF associated-files array (the PDF/A-3 way). Filename matching is case-insensitive and accepts factur-x.xml, ZUGFeRD-invoice.xml and xrechnung.xml.

Codelist enumerations

ISO 4217 currency codes, ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes and UN/EDIFACT (UNCL) code lists for payment means, units of measure, document types and VAT categories — all validated against the official enumerations inlined in the compiled schematron.

Calculation and VAT logic

Line totals, tax breakdowns by category, charges, allowances, prepaid amounts and the final payable amount are all recalculated and cross-checked. VAT category logic (S, Z, E, AE, K, G, O) is validated per the EN 16931 BR-S-*, BR-Z-* etc. rules.

Factur-X vs ZUGFeRD — what's the difference?

Practically nothing. Factur-X 1.x and ZUGFeRD 2.x are the same format, defined jointly by France's FNFE-MPE and Germany's FeRD. Both use UN/CEFACT Cross Industry Invoice (CII) XML embedded in a PDF/A-3 wrapper. They share the same XML schema, the same five profiles and the same schematron rules. The only differences are branding and the specific code-list versions referenced by each profile. Any tool validating one validates the other — including aiDoks.

In France, Factur-X is one of the formats Chorus Pro accepts for B2G invoices (alongside UBL and CII), and one of the three base formats of the B2B reform that starts in September 2026. ZUGFeRD has been the dominant German hybrid format alongside XRechnung for almost a decade. If you exchange invoices in either market, your invoice must pass the validation rules — non-compliant invoices are rejected at the portal and never reach the buyer.

Common Factur-X validation errors

  • BR-01 — Mandatory field missing. Each profile has its own mandatory-field list; MINIMUM is the shortest, EXTENDED the longest. The error message names the missing element.
  • BR-CL-01 — Code-list value not in the official enumeration. Common offender: a currency code that does not exist in ISO 4217, or a UN/ECE Rec 20 unit code that has been retired.
  • BR-CO-13 — Tax total amount mismatch. Sum of tax-category subtotals must equal the document-level TaxTotalAmount.
  • BR-DEC-XX — Too many decimal places. Monetary amounts (totals, line net amounts, allowances and charges) may have at most 2 decimals; EN 16931 sets no such limit for unit prices.
  • FX-SCH-A-XX — Profile-specific Factur-X schematron error. The error message names which profile rule fired and what value was expected.

Validating PDFs from any tool

Whether the PDF was generated by Mustangproject, akretion's factur-x library, SAP Document Compliance, DATEV, Lexware, Sage, Quadient AP, or your own PDFBox-based pipeline — if the PDF/A-3 contains an embedded CII XML attachment with a recognised filename, the aiDoks validator extracts and validates it. Useful for QA-ing your own Factur-X output before sending, and for verifying supplier invoices before importing them into accounting.

Factur-X / ZUGFeRD validator: FAQ

What is Factur-X and how does it relate to ZUGFeRD?

Factur-X is the Franco-German hybrid e-invoice standard: a PDF/A-3 file with a human-readable invoice layout AND a machine-readable CII XML invoice embedded inside it. ZUGFeRD 2.x and Factur-X 1.x are technically identical — same XML, same profiles. In France, Chorus Pro accepts Factur-X for B2G invoices (alongside UBL and CII), and it is one of the three base formats of the B2B reform from September 2026; ZUGFeRD is widely used in Germany alongside XRechnung. Upload the PDF and the validator extracts the embedded XML automatically.

Which Factur-X profiles are validated?

All five conformance profiles: MINIMUM, BASIC-WL (without line items), BASIC, EN 16931 (also called COMFORT) and EXTENDED. The validator detects which profile the document declares and applies the correct rule set for that level — a MINIMUM invoice is only checked against MINIMUM rules, an EXTENDED invoice gets the full EN 16931 baseline plus the EXTENDED additions.

Can I upload the PDF directly, or do I need to extract the XML myself?

Upload the PDF directly. The server uses Apache PDFBox to find the embedded factur-x.xml / ZUGFeRD-invoice.xml attachment, extracts the CII XML and validates it against the matching profile schematron. You also get the extracted XML in the response if you want to inspect it.

Does the validator work for ZUGFeRD 1.x or only Factur-X / ZUGFeRD 2.x?

Factur-X 1.x and ZUGFeRD 2.x (which are the same format) are fully supported. ZUGFeRD 1.x is a different older format with a different XML namespace and is not currently validated — most German producers have already migrated to 2.x / Factur-X.

Is the Factur-X validator free?

Yes, free without an account. Upload a Factur-X / ZUGFeRD PDF and get the full validation report instantly with the profile name, rule IDs and plain-English error descriptions.

What rule set powers the validation?

The validator uses the official Factur-X 1.08 schematron files for the MINIMUM, BASIC-WL, BASIC and EXTENDED profiles — each richer profile is a superset of the one before — and, for the EN 16931 profile, the official EN 16931 CII schematron, whose rules are identical. Code-list enumerations (currency codes, country codes, UNCL codes) are also checked. These are the rules published by FNFE-MPE and FeRD.

Related tools

PEPPOL BIS 3.0 validator

Validate UBL invoices on the PEPPOL network.

XRechnung validator

Validate the German XRechnung 3.x CIUS — UBL and CII.

PDF to e-invoice

Convert a regular PDF invoice into a structured UBL XML.

What each rule means

Look up a rule ID from a validation report — PEPPOL, EN 16931, XRechnung and national rules.

CII or Factur-X to UBL

Convert CII XML or a Factur-X / ZUGFeRD PDF into PEPPOL BIS 3.0 UBL.

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Free, anonymous, all 5 profiles and full codelist enumeration checks.

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