E-Invoice Decisions of the Ministry of Finance from October 15, 2024

Invoice transmission: The contracting parties must agree between themselves under civil law which permissible electronic invoice format and which permissible transmission channel is to be used.

Receipt channels: An e-mail inbox is sufficient for the legally compliant receipt of electronic invoices. Alternatively, interfaces or portals are also permitted.

In the long term, the transmission channels will be reviewed as part of the VIDA implementation, with more specific requirements being defined if necessary.

Sanctions: From the start of the obligation (2027 or 2028), ‘other invoices’ (e.g. paper or PDF) will no longer be eligible for input tax deduction. Additional penalties for refusing to accept an e-invoice are currently not envisaged. However, if the recipient refuses to accept the e-invoice even though the sender has demonstrably endeavoured to transmit it correctly, the recipient will be in default.

Further information: https://www.bundesfinanzministerium.de/Content/DE/Downloads/BMF_Schreiben/Steuerarten/Umsatzsteuer/2024-10-15-einfuehrung-e-rechnung.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=1