BMW Group
The BMW Group runs a dedicated eInvoicing programme with its own guidelines per format. Suppliers submit invoices through the eDocument Portal, via EDI, or — for EN 16931 formats — by e-mail after whitelisting. Document transfer through the standard solutions is free of charge for BMW partners.
Access
- Electronic invoicing requires access to the BMW B2B Partner Portal. Register there and apply for authorisation.
- Authorisation is tied to the 8-digit supplier number. If a master administrator already exists for your company, you are registered as a standard user and the master admin approves your request.
- If no master administrator exists yet for your supplier number, the registration workflow has to be started by contacting BMW’s partner portal registration address, quoting that number.
- Once logged in, the eDocument Portal is opened from the “Applications” menu.
Submission routes
eCAP
Manual capture of invoice data in an input mask inside the eDocument Portal. Attachments can be uploaded alongside.
Available immediately after portal access is granted
EDI
Structured transmission in VDA, ZUGFeRD, XRechnung or Peppol BIS 3. Requires a formal onboarding through BMW’s integration service provider.
Started via “My Onboarding” → Survey in the portal
E-mail (EN 16931)
For suppliers who simply want to send EN 16931 invoices by mail. Requires prior whitelisting of the sending addresses.
The receiving address is issued afterwards and is not the enquiry address
Accepted inbound formats
| Format | Channels | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| VDA 4938 | AS2, OFTP2, SMTP | Automotive standard for invoices and credit notes. A separate supplement covers tooling cost invoices |
| VDA 4983 | AS2, OFTP2, SMTP | Container format — invoices and credit notes including attachments |
| ZUGFeRD | AS2, OFTP2, SMTP | PDF/A-3 with XML, profiles Comfort or Extended. Accepted from version 2.1 upwards |
| XRechnung | AS2, OFTP2, SMTP, Peppol | UBL 2.1 |
| Peppol BIS 3 | AS2, OFTP2, SMTP, Peppol | Based on Peppol BIS 3 / UBL 2.1. BMW’s participant IDs are published in the Peppol Directory |
| FatturaPA | SdI | Italy only — mandatory for Italian suppliers invoicing Italian buyers |
| Svefaktura | AS2, OFTP2, SMTP | Sweden only |
| TEAPPS | AS2, OFTP2, SMTP | Finland only |
Older ZUGFeRD versions are no longer permitted for new connections. They do not incorporate the requirements of Directive 2014/55/EU and EN 16931. Version 2.1 is the minimum.
Mandatory data
| Field | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Supplier number | 8-digit BMW supplier number |
| Supplier VAT number | Mandatory |
| Company code of the recipient | Correct code of the invoiced BMW entity, e.g. A1 for BMW AG |
| BMW VAT identification number | Mandatory |
Each value has to sit in the correct segment of the respective format. For VDA transmissions the interchange sender is identified by the BMW supplier number with qualifier ZZ or ZZZ.
EDI onboarding
| Step | Content |
|---|---|
| 1 | Open “My Onboarding” → Survey in the eDocument Portal. Your partner number and the available company codes are listed |
| 2 | Complete the survey only for company codes you actually do business with; define format and channel for inbound and outbound financial documents |
| 3 | Submit. The survey goes to BMW’s integration service provider, who sends an invite link to your technical contact within one to two working days |
| 4 | Technical setup: certificate exchange, smoke test |
| 5 | Go-live is confirmed by e-mail; onboarding ends there |
Channels
- AS2 — transports both EDI and non-EDI files such as PDF.
- OFTP2 — ODETTE protocol, the established transfer method in the automotive industry.
- SMTP — e-mail. Only one file per e-mail is allowed.
- Peppol — for XRechnung and Peppol BIS 3.
- SdI — the Italian exchange system, for FatturaPA.
BMW entities receiving electronic invoices
| Company | Company code |
|---|---|
| BMW AG | A1 |
| BMW UK Manufacturing Ltd. | MU |
| BMW Hams Hall Motoren GmbH | U0 |
| BMW Motoren GmbH | C5 |
| Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited | LG |
| BMW Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH | B7 |
| BMW Österreich Holding GmbH | S5 |
| BMW Bank GmbH | B1 |
| BMW Mobility Development Center s.r.o. | RK |
| BMW Manufacturing Hungary Kft. | UH |
| BMW SLP S.A. de C.V. | LY |
| Rolls-Royce Motor Cars GmbH | FE |
Outbound documents
BMW also sends documents electronically — self-billing credit notes, debits, corrections, revaluations and payment advices — in VDA 4938, VDA 4983, ZUGFeRD, XRechnung or Peppol BIS 3, plus payment advices as PDF or VDA 4988. Since 1 March 2018, BMW AG and BMW (UK) Manufacturing Ltd. apply digital signatures only where the recipient’s country legally requires one.
