Create Factur-X, identical to ZUGFeRD
A customer asks for a Factur-X invoice, or you want to know whether your file is one? Factur-X is the French counterpart of ZUGFeRD and technically the same format. Fill in the invoice in the form and you receive a PDF with embedded XML, checked with the official KoSIT validator before delivery.
How to create a Factur-X invoice
After registration, 10 transactions are free, no credit card needed. You enter sender and bank details once in your profile.
In the invoice form, the format “ZUGFeRD / Factur-X” is available, with the Comfort profile (EN 16931) preselected. It is the same file whether your customer calls it ZUGFeRD or Factur-X.
Enter recipient, line items and VAT as for any invoice. Master data from your business partners is filled in automatically, and a logo appears in the PDF.
Before delivery, the official KoSIT validator checks the data set. If it fails, no invoice is created, nothing is charged, and you see which detail is missing.
You download the finished PDF or send it straight from the platform, and a copy is kept in your account archive. The file factur-x.xml is embedded in the PDF as an attachment.
What you should know about Factur-X
Factur-X is ZUGFeRD
Both names stand for the same hybrid format: a PDF/A-3 that carries the same invoice data as XML in the CII syntax (UN/CEFACT), under the European standard EN 16931. Germany and France developed it together. ZUGFeRD from version 2.x and Factur-X are technically identical, only the name differs.
Five profiles
Factur-X knows the profiles Minimum, Basic WL, Basic, EN 16931 (called Comfort in Germany) and Extended. They differ in how much data the XML contains. You can choose all five in the invoice form, and the validator recognises them.
When in doubt, EN 16931
For invoices to business customers, EN 16931 is the right choice and our default. Minimum and Basic WL have no line items in the XML and do not meet the requirements for an e-invoice under EN 16931, so many recipients reject them.
An ordinary invoice
Whoever opens the PDF sees a normal invoice. The structured data is embedded as an attachment and read by the recipient's software. In many PDF viewers you can see the attachment in the paperclip view.
Validate Factur-X for free
You can check a Factur-X file from another program without an account in the validator. It reads the XML by its content, so it does not matter whether the file is called factur-x.xml or ZUGFeRD-invoice.xml.
Via import or API
If your data is in a spreadsheet, the file import creates many invoices at once. Through the interface you create Factur-X PDFs from your own software, see the documentation.
Want to see it with your own case? We will show you in a free online demo.
Common Factur-X mistakes
Just a PDF showing invoice data
A PDF that shows the invoice in readable form is not yet a Factur-X invoice. What matters is the embedded XML. Whether it is there is shown by the free check.
XML merely attached
Attaching the XML to any PDF is not enough. The container must be a PDF/A-3 with matching metadata. We take care of both when creating the invoice.
Profile too lean
With Minimum or Basic WL the line items are missing from the XML. If your customer asks for an e-invoice, use EN 16931.
Data in the PDF and the XML differ
Amounts and tax rates in the visible PDF and in the XML must match. When both come from the same invoice form, they cannot drift apart.
Factur-X and e-invoicing in France
In France, Factur-X is one of the three accepted formats, alongside UBL and CII. The obligation started on 1 September 2026: all businesses must be able to receive e-invoices, large and mid-sized ones must also issue them, and small and micro businesses follow on 1 September 2027. Invoices are exchanged there through state-approved platforms (plateformes agréées). We are not such a platform and do not connect to one: we create and validate the Factur-X file, but we do not send it into the French network. According to the French tax authority, the e-invoicing obligation does not apply to businesses without an establishment in France, but an e-reporting duty may exist. Clarify your case with your accounting department. Our invoices are available in German and English, not in French.
Questions about your case? Write to us and we will reply personally.
Frequently asked questions: Factur-X
What is Factur-X?
Factur-X is an invoice format under EN 16931: a PDF/A-3 with embedded XML that contains the invoice data in machine-readable form. It was developed jointly in France and Germany, in Germany it is called ZUGFeRD.
Is Factur-X the same as ZUGFeRD?
Technically yes. ZUGFeRD from version 2.x and Factur-X are the same format under two names. The embedded file is called factur-x.xml with us, and our validator also accepts files named ZUGFeRD-invoice.xml.
Can I create Factur-X for free?
To get started, yes: after registration 10 transactions are included, no credit card required. After that an invoice costs 1 credit, with no subscription required.
How do I validate a Factur-X file?
Upload the PDF to the validator for free and without registration. It checks the embedded XML with the official KoSIT validator and names violated rules in plain language.
What is the difference between Factur-X and XRechnung?
Factur-X is a PDF with embedded XML, readable by people and machines. XRechnung is pure XML and the usual format towards German public authorities. Both are based on EN 16931.
What is Order-X?
Order-X is the sister format for purchase orders, also developed by German and French associations and built on the same principle: a PDF with embedded XML. We create and validate invoices, not purchase orders.