Check and read e-invoices in your browser

E-Invoice Validator and Viewer

Drop an XRechnung or ZUGFeRD e-invoice to read it as a normal invoice and check it against the official EN 16931 and XRechnung rules. The file stays in your browser.

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An e-invoice is an invoice in structured data, usually XML, that accounting software can read. This free e-invoice validator and viewer opens the file, shows it like a paper invoice, and checks it against the official EN 16931 rules. It runs entirely in your browser tab, so there is no sign-up and viewing and checking cost nothing.

It accepts XRechnung and other EN 16931 invoices as XML (UBL 2.1 or UN/CEFACT CII D16B), and ZUGFeRD 2.x or Factur-X PDFs with an embedded XML file. Use it as an e-invoice viewer to read an invoice, or as a validator to see whether a file passes the rules. The result is a technical check, not tax or legal advice.

How to use the e-invoice validator

  1. Open the page. The readable view appears at once; the first check loads about half a megabyte of rule files once. Later checks are much faster.
  2. Click Choose an invoice file, or drag and drop your file onto the page. Accepted files are XML invoices (UBL 2.1 Invoice or CreditNote, or CII D16B) and ZUGFeRD/Factur-X PDFs. The maximum size is 30 MB.
  3. To test the tool first, click Try an example. This loads a fictitious XRechnung.
  4. Read the Validation report tab. It shows the verdict, Valid or Not valid, and the number of errors, warnings and notes. The table lists each finding with its rule ID and the location in the XML. XRechnung messages are in German.
  5. Open the Invoice tab to read the invoice like a paper invoice. It shows the seller, buyer, lines, VAT, totals, amount due, bank details and any attachments, which you can download.
  6. Open the XML tab to see the raw XML.

Print / save as PDF prints only the readable invoice. Choose “Save as PDF” in your browser’s printer list to keep a PDF copy. Copy report copies the validation report as text. For a ZUGFeRD PDF, Download the embedded XML saves the XML file hidden inside it.

What is an e-invoice?

An e-invoice is structured invoice data, usually XML, that software can read and process without retyping. It is not a picture of an invoice, so a plain PDF is not an e-invoice. The European standard for e-invoices is EN 16931, based on Directive 2014/55/EU, and national formats are built on it.

The main formats are XRechnung, used in Germany, ZUGFeRD and Factur-X, a hybrid PDF used in Germany and France, and Peppol BIS Billing 3.0, used across Europe. Italy (FatturaPA) and Spain (Facturae) use their own formats, which this site does not check yet.

In Germany, since 1 January 2025, every business must be able to receive e-invoices from other German businesses. Issuing them becomes mandatory step by step until 2028 (§ 27 Abs. 38 UStG).

XRechnung is the German specification of EN 16931, maintained by KoSIT; the current version is 3.0, written in either of two XML syntaxes, UBL 2.1 or UN/CEFACT CII D16B. Which rules apply to a file is decided by its specification identifier (BT-24), the same way the official KoSIT validator configuration decides it.

The check runs the unmodified official rule files in your browser: the EN 16931 validation artefacts 1.3.17 published by CEN/TC 434 and the KoSIT XRechnung Schematron 2.6.0 for XRechnung 3.0.2, plus the XML schemas for UBL 2.1 and CII D16B.

How do I open and read an XRechnung or ZUGFeRD e-invoice?

Choose the file in this tool, and it will show the invoice in readable form. An XRechnung is a plain XML file, so the tool reads it directly. A ZUGFeRD or Factur-X file is a PDF/A-3 that a person can read, with the structured invoice embedded as an XML attachment.

The embedded XML is usually named factur-x.xml, zugferd-invoice.xml or xrechnung.xml, and it uses the CII syntax. The tool extracts this XML automatically and shows it in the Invoice and XML tabs. If you need the XML itself, use Download the embedded XML.

Frequently asked questions

How do I validate an e-invoice?

Choose the file and read the verdict in the Validation report tab. The check first tests the XML syntax against the XML schema (XSD), then the business rules (Schematron) from the official EN 16931 files and the KoSIT XRechnung rules. A file is Valid only with no schema error and no error-level rule finding; warnings do not make it invalid.

Is a PDF invoice an e-invoice?

Usually not. A normal PDF is a picture of an invoice that software cannot read as data. A ZUGFeRD or Factur-X PDF can count as an e-invoice, because the structured XML is embedded inside it (profile BASIC and above; MINIMUM and BASIC WL are not complete EN 16931 invoices). This tool reads that XML.

Is my invoice uploaded?

No. The file is read locally in your browser tab and is never uploaded. Under the tool, the page shows how many requests it made to other servers, and this number should be 0. The only files loaded are this site’s own rule and program files.

Can I check every ZUGFeRD profile?

Not completely. The MINIMUM and BASIC WL profiles carry no invoice lines, so only their syntax is checked. For the other profiles the EN 16931 rules run, and for the XRECHNUNG profile the KoSIT XRechnung rules run as well. The additional profile rules from FNFE-MPE and FeRD are not run yet, and the result says so.

How accurate is the check?

Before launch, the verdict was compared with the official KoSIT validator 1.6.3, configured with the same rule versions. The valid or not valid result matched on all 2,184 test invoices, which included official test files and deliberately broken variants.

Does a Valid result mean my invoice is legally compliant?

No. A Valid result means the file passes the rule set versions named under the tool. It is not tax or legal advice. The site also does not send invoices and is not a Peppol access point.