Factur-X EN

Factur-X is a Franco-German standard for hybrid e-invoice (PDF for users and XML data for process automation), the first implementation of the European Semantic Standard EN 16931 published by the European Commission on October 16th 2017. Factur-X is the same standard than ZUGFeRD 2.3.

Factur-X is at the same time a full readable invoice in a PDF A/3 format, containing all information useful for its treatment, especially in case of discrepancy or absence of automatic matching with orders and / or receptions, and a set of invoice data presented in an XML structured file conformant to EN16931 (syntax CII D16B), complete or not, allowing invoice process automation.

The first objective of Factur-X is to enable suppliers, invoice issuers, to create added-value e-invoices, containing a maximum of information in structured form, according to their ability to produce them in this form, and to let customers recipients free to use the invoice data and / or the readable presentation, depending on their needs and their invoice process maturity on automation.

In order to allow the broadest adoption by any size of companies, and in order to guide them, this standard includes several data profiles:

	MINIMUM : corresponding to the minimum invoice information required on CHORUSPRO and equivalent to a classic header OCR and manual validation data capture.
	BASIC WL : corresponding to the document level invoice information that are mostly required or useful for buyers for their process automation
	BASIC : corresponding to the BASIC WL profile with the core line information required or useful for buyers for their process automation
	EN16931 : corresponding to all the invoice information present in the European Norm EN16931
	EXTENDED : corresponding to the EN16931 profile, with some additional invoice data. This profile is under construction, and will be published later.

Factur-X is one of the 3 formats of the “minimum base” of the Electronic Invoicing Reform made mandatory in reception by all companies and all PPFs.

Deployed since 2018 on the CHORUSPRO Portal, and therefore on the upcoming PPF (Portail Public de Facturation), Factur-x is implemented by a large number of e-invoicing service providers, and in particular by the the 89  registered PDPs (Plateformes de Dématérialisation Partenaires, as of April 4th 2025), but also by a large number of invoice management software packages.

May 2025, 7th, FNFE-MPE and FERD published the latest release namely : Factur-X 1.07.3 and ZUGFeRD 2.3.3, applicable on May 15th, 2025, celebrating 10 years of Franco-German collaboration to build this hybrid format dedicated to SMB / SME

For 10 years now, a team of French and German volunteers of the Forum for Electronic Invoicing Germany (FeRD) and the French National Forum for Electronic Invoicing and Market Places & Public Electronic procurement (FNFE-MPE) have been working together to develop a joint user-friendly hybrid e-invoice format for businesses in France and Germany. The fully aligned version of Factur-X which is compliant with the European Norm EN16931, has now been updated and is being published as Factur-X 1.07.3 and ZUGFeRD 2.3.3, respectively.

The most important new feature in this update is the incorporation of newly published code lists of the European norm, applicable from May 15, 2025. The harmonised documentation, too, has been updated and corrected where necessary and is available in French, German and English language. This version is based on UN/CEFACT CII D22B and fully backward compatible with D16B. Each of the five profiles have their own xsd and schematron, which will be updated at the same time as the EN16931 validation artefact, applicable in November and May 15th of each year.

This version also includes control components for each of the 5 profiles (xsd AND schematron).
Documentation is provided in English, French and German, and is unique for Factur-X and ZUGFeRD 2.3, since in practice they constitute one and the same format.

This release is published to take account of the half-yearly update of the EN16931 standard on code lists and schematrons applicable from May 15, 2025.

The english version is available here: