Understand legal requirements, formats, and company-specific invoicing rules in Germany.
Germany is transitioning to mandatory electronic invoicing for all domestic B2B transactions. Under the Growth Opportunities Act, only structured electronic invoices compliant with EN 16931 will be considered valid invoices.
Traditional PDFs, paper invoices, and image files are gradually being phased out and will no longer qualify as compliant invoices.
Structured formats such as XRechnung and ZUGFeRD enable automated processing, reduce errors, and allow tax authorities to implement real-time reporting in the future.
For suppliers, this means that invoice data must be correctly structured, validated, and aligned with both legal and buyer-specific requirements.
All VAT-registered businesses must be able to receive e-invoices.
Companies with annual turnover above €800,000 must issue e-invoices.
All B2B transactions require electronic invoicing.
Note: Small invoices below €250 and certain transport tickets are exempt during early phases.
Key Insight: The choice of format depends on the buyer. Public authorities require XRechnung, while private companies often accept hybrid or EDI formats.
Explore invoicing requirements — open any company to see full details
Regardless of the buyer, all invoices in Germany must pass strict validation rules based on EN 16931 and national CIUS requirements.
Sum of line amounts + VAT = total invoice amount
YYYY-MM-DD
Duplicate invoices are automatically rejected
e.g., GLN with schemeID 0088
Street, city, postal code, country
e.g., PO number, Leitweg-ID
To ensure successful invoice processing and avoid rejections, suppliers should follow a structured preparation process.
XRechnung required. Leitweg-ID must be provided and included in BT-10.
Purchase order number (BT-13) is usually mandatory. Additional fields like cost center may be required.
