Germany and France Update their Common E-Invoicing Standard

Germany and France have announced that their shared e-invoicing standards, ZUGFeRD (Germany) and Factur-X (France), will be updated together on 15 January 2026.

This update comes as both countries prepare for mandatory e-invoicing:

• Germany: phased B2B mandate between 2025 and 2028,
• France: B2B e-invoicing mandate starting September 2026.

Both regimes are aligning with the EU e-invoicing standard EN 16931, which will become mandatory for intra-EU digital reporting from July 2030 under the ViDA reforms.

The new release reflects recent updates to EN 16931 and expands support for more complex business scenarios, such as:

• Hierarchical invoice lines,
• Partial totals,
• Bundled or multi-component products.

It also adds information required by the French AFNOR framework, which is the technical basis for France’s upcoming e-invoicing system.

ZUGFeRD and Factur-X in Practice

• ZUGFeRD 2.3 and Factur-X 1.0.07 are fully EU-compliant and compatible,
• They are hybrid invoice formats combining:

• a PDF (human-readable invoice),
• an embedded XML (structured data for automation).

• Both formats use UN/CEFACT CII and PDF/A-3,
• They comply with EN 16931 and are suitable for B2G and B2B invoicing.

Changes in the new version

• Supports France’s B2B e-invoicing mandate
• Better alignment with EN 16931 using UN/CEFACT CII D22B
• Allows small rounding differences without triggering errors
• Improved documentation and technical examples
• Updated sample files and minor bug fixes
• Full compatibility between ZUGFeRD and Factur-X maintained

System Integration

ZUGFeRD and Factur-X are already widely supported across:

• EDI platforms
• ERP and accounting systems
• Chorus Pro, France’s central B2G invoicing platform