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Germany’s federal government offers two e-invoice submissions portals: ZRE and OZG-RE.
And this article will answer the common questions that clients ask about these two portals. If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to contact us!
ZRE = abbreviation of ‘Zentrale Rechnungseingangsporta‘ – translates to ‘Central Invoice Submission Portal’ (sometimes referred to as ‘CISP’ in English).
OZG = abbreviation of ‘OZG-konforme Rechnungseingangsplatform‘ – or ‘OZG-Compliant Invoice Entry Platform’.
What Is The Difference Between ZRE and OZG-RE?
ZRE and OZG-RE are actually very similar. Both portals for companies to send invoices, and work in almost the same way.
But the two portals send invoices to different institutions – that’s the difference.
The federal government, State, and District authorities require invoice submissions via the ZRE portal.
Whereas institutions that are associated with the Federal government require invoice submissions via the OZG-RE portal. For example, Bundesagentur fur Arbeit (Germany’s Federal Employment Agency) receive invoices submissions via OZG-RE.
ZRE
What Is The Difference Between ZRE and CISP?
They are exactly the same.
ZRE is an acronym for the German term ‘Zentrale Rechnungseingangsportal‘, whereas CISP is an acronym for the English term ‘Central Invoice Submission Portal‘.
Both terms refer to the same service, only in a different language.
How Does the ZRE Portal Work?
The portal is very easy to use:
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You register for the portal online (click here).
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You send your invoice through the ZRE.
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Bund’s software processes and verifies the invoice (for correct formatting, data corresponding to recipients’ data, virus-scanning, etc).
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The recipient receives the invoice.
And that’s it!
Do I Need To Register for ZRE?
If you are sending invoices through the ZRE, then yes. You need to register.
It doesn’t matter if you send your invoices to the ZRE portal via the ZRE portal, via PEPPOL, email, or De-Mail. Whatever your method, you must be registered on the ZRE to submit invoices through it.
What Information Do I Need to Register for ZRE?
To register with the ZRE you need to:
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Choose a user name
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Enter your first and last name
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Provide your email address
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Choose a password
Pretty straightforward! And you can register yourself right here.
How Do I Send Invoices via ZRE?
There are 4 options for sending invoices via the ZRE:
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Web Submission:
This is where you create your invoice manually from within the ZRE portal itself.
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File Upload:
This is where you upload the XRechnung file that you have already created into the ZRE portal manually.
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E-Mail:
You can send the XRechnung file you have already created via email.
For official invoices send to: xrechnung@portal.bund.de
For test invoices send to: ref.xrechnung@portal.bund.de
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Peppol:
It is now possible to send invoices to the ZRE via PEPPOL – either through the web service of the Federal Government’s PEPPOL or via your current PEPPOL access point account (e.g. Invoice-Portal).
Which Is the Best Option for Sending Invoices via ZRE?
Well, the ZRE web portal is free of charge and extremely easy to use if you only have a small number of invoices to send.
However, if you have a higher number of invoices to process then it can be fairly time-consuming to process them all manually through ZRE.
It is recommended that you use an invoicing solution, such as Invoice-Portal.de, if you process a high volume of invoices. With a solution like this, you can upload and convert numerous invoices quickly and easily, then send them directly to the ZRE portal. This can all be done from within the Invoice-Portal itself – no need to sign in to your ZRE account.
All you have to do is:
1. Send your invoice as an XRechnung:
2. Send your XRechnung via email:
Try the Invoice-Portal for free, and send invoices to the ZRE portal quickly and easily:
How Do I Know My Invoice Has Been Received by the Recipient?
If you want to check the status of your invoice, you can do so from within your ZRE account. You can find this under the “View Invoice Status” tab in the ZRE.
It is also possible to be informed about changes to your e-invoice status via email. You can activate or deactivate this feature under the “Manage User Account” tab in the ZRE.
Who Uses the ZRE Portal?
It is the portal where all direct Federal Administrations receive invoices (in Germany, that is).
Anybody who supplies a product or provides a service to any direct Federal Administration must use the ZRE.
Click here for information about how to send e-invoices to specific public authorities in Germany.
Can I Change, Manage, or Delete My ZRE Account?
Yes, you can.
To change any of your account information, or to delete your account, then the administrator must click on “Start User Administration” and then “Edit My User Account.
How Do I Send a Test Invoice in ZRE?
You must NOT send test invoices through the main portal.
To send a test invoice, you must do so through the reference portal.
The reference portal is identical to the main portal in every way, except the invoices sent through it will not be processed by the Federal Government.
You can also send test invoices via email:
How can I send test invoice via Peppol to ZRE?
To ensure that your invoices are correctly received by ZRE and processed without errors, it’s advisable to register in the ZRE reference environment. Please refrain from sending test invoices to ZRE’s production environment!
Within the reference environment, you can independently create a user account. To ensure that messages sent via Peppol are visible in your invoice log on the ZRE reference environment, please register your Peppol Sender ID. This can be done via the “Manage ZRE Account” option in the ZRE reference environment.
For sending test invoices to the ZRE reference environment, please use the following identifiers:
Peppol Receiver ID: 0204:991-33333TEST-33 Pathway ID: 991-33333TEST-33
Can I Get Support for ZRE?
Yes! If you have any questions about the processing of invoices via the ZRE, feel free to contact us.
OZG-RE
How Does the OZG-RE Portal Work?
The OZG-RE portal works in a very simple way.
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You register for the portal online (click here).
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You send your invoice to the OZG-RE
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Bdr. processes the invoice
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The recipient receives the invoice.
Do I Need to Register For OZG-RE?
If you wish to submit your invoice to OZG-RE via the PEPPOL Network, then registration is not necessary.
However, you won’t be able to view the processing status of your submissions without registering.
Company Data:
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The Name of your business.
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The language you prefer.
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Your VAT identification number.
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Your Tax registration number
User data:
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Name (First and Last)
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Preferred language
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Email address
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Password
Register here.
How Do I Send Invoices via OZG-RE?
There are four options:
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By registering to the OZG-RE portal and manually create your invoice via the web submission portal.
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By registering to the OZG-RE portal and manually uploading an already created XRechnung file via the OZG-RE portal.
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You can register to the OZG-RE portal and email your upload (as an XRechnung file).
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You can submit your invoice via the PEPPOL Network (OZG-RE registration not needed).
Which Is the Best Option For Sending Invoices via OZG-RE?
Well, OZG-RE’s web portal is free of charge and extremely easy if you only have a small number of invoices to send.
However, if you have a higher number of invoices to process then it can be fairly time-consuming to process them all manually through OZG-RE.
It is recommended that you use an invoicing solution, such as Invoice-Portal, if you process high numbers of invoices. With a solution like Invoice-Portal, you can upload and convert numerous invoices quickly and easily, then send them directly to the OZG-RE portal. This can all be done from within the software itself.
All you have to do is:
1. Choose the XRechnung format for your invoice:
2. And choose to send your invoice by email:
Try the Invoice-Portal for free, and send invoices to the OZG-RE portal quickly and easily:
PEPPOL
Do you want access to the PEPPOL Network?
You can get automatic access to the PEPPOL Network – including your own, unique PEPPOL ID – by signing up with Invoice-Portal (for free).
Furthermore, you will be able to create, convert, send, and receive all of your invoices through the same software – e-invoicing simplified!
Test the Invoice-Portal for yourself for FREE! Our 14 day free-trial is currently live – with NO automatic renewals.
Decide for yourself whether or not our solution fits your needs:
