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Create a ZUGFeRD invoice from your PDF

Create a ZUGFeRD invoice from the PDF invoices you already write, without retyping them. Drop the PDF, check the fields read from it, and download a ZUGFeRD / Factur-X PDF and an XRechnung XML. The invoice never leaves your device.

Made in your browser Your invoice never leaves your device

  • No upload
  • No account
  • Nothing stored
How can I check?

Choose your PDF invoice or drop it here

A PDF made by your invoice program, Word or similar, with selectable text. Scans are not read.

Try a sample:

  • Never uploadedRead in your browser, on your device
  • Your own PDFThe XML is attached to the original file
  • CheckedTotals, required fields, KoSIT-tested output
  • Free, no accountNo sign-up, on phones and computers

Three steps

How to create a ZUGFeRD invoice from a PDF

  1. 1Choose your PDF invoiceThe PDF your invoice program or word processor made. Scans are not read.
  2. 2Check every fieldFields read from the PDF are filled in; empty ones are marked. Fix anything the checks list.
  3. 3DownloadThe ZUGFeRD PDF for businesses, or the XRechnung XML for public authorities.

What a ZUGFeRD invoice from this tool contains

  • ZUGFeRD / Factur-X PDF: your original PDF, unchanged on the page, with the invoice data attached as factur-x.xml (UN/CEFACT CII, profile EN 16931) and the Factur-X metadata. According to the French forum FNFE-MPE, Factur-X is the same standard as ZUGFeRD 2.5.
  • XRechnung XML: the same invoice as XRechnung 3.0 in CII syntax, the format public authorities in Germany usually ask for.

The Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) names XRechnung and ZUGFeRD from version 2.0.1, except the MINIMUM and BASIC-WL profiles, as formats that meet the VAT rules for an e-invoice.

Check every field before you download

Every value lands in a form field, missing ones are marked, and nothing downloads until the checks pass and you confirm you compared the form with the PDF. The checks recalculate every line and VAT rate, compare net, VAT and total with the figures printed on the PDF, and run the required EN 16931 rules (the same checks as the e-invoice viewer). For XRechnung they also ask for the buyer reference, the seller's contact details and the buyer's email. This matters because, according to the BMF FAQ, the XML part of a hybrid invoice now leads: where it differs from the PDF, the XML counts.

Reverse charge, two VAT rates, small businesses

Normal VAT lines take 19% or 7%, with one VAT group per rate. Reverse charge lines use category AE at 0% with the reason "Steuerschuldnerschaft des Leistungsempfängers" and need both VAT IDs. Small business lines (section 19 UStG) use category E. Without a VAT ID or register number, enter your supplier number at the buyer as seller ID (rule BR-CO-26).

Do small businesses need e-invoices?

To send: no. Section 34a UStDV lets a small business invoice always go out as an ordinary invoice, such as a PDF. To receive: yes. The BMF FAQ says small businesses must still be able to receive e-invoices, and an email inbox is enough.

Dates in Germany

  • Since 1 January 2025: every business must be able to receive e-invoices from other German businesses.
  • Until 31 December 2026: paper, or a PDF if the buyer agrees, is still allowed.
  • Until 31 December 2027: the same for sellers with previous-year turnover of no more than 800,000 euros (section 27(38) UStG).

See the EU e-invoicing tracker for every European country.

Limits

The PDF is not a certified PDF/A-3: the XML and metadata are attached, but the file is not converted, so it makes no PDF/A claim. If a recipient demands strict PDF/A-3, send the XRechnung XML. Scans are not read, nothing is sent for you, and this is not tax advice. Every XML the tool made from five fictional test invoices passed the official KoSIT validator (XRechnung 3.0.2 configuration), and the open-source factur-x library read the XML back from each PDF and passed its EN 16931 schema check.

Sources

Checked 26 October 2026. The BMF site blocks automated access, so its FAQ was read from the Internet Archive copy of 8 October 2026. Sample invoices are fictional. pdf-lib (MIT) and pdf.js (Apache 2.0) are served from DocFig.

Questions

Can I turn my PDF invoices into ZUGFeRD for free?

Yes. Drop the PDF your invoice program made, check the fields this tool reads from it, and download your PDF with the ZUGFeRD / Factur-X XML attached, plus an XRechnung XML. It runs in your browser, so the invoice is not uploaded, and there is no account.

Is a PDF with attached XML a real e-invoice?

The German Federal Ministry of Finance says XRechnung and ZUGFeRD from version 2.0.1, except the MINIMUM and BASIC-WL profiles, meet the VAT rules for an e-invoice. This tool writes the EN 16931 profile. Its PDF is not a certified PDF/A-3, so if a recipient requires strict PDF/A-3, send the XRechnung XML instead.

ZUGFeRD or XRechnung: which one should I send?

Public authorities usually ask for XRechnung, with their Leitweg-ID as buyer reference. Businesses accept either if their software reads it; ZUGFeRD has the advantage that people without e-invoice software can still read the PDF. When in doubt, ask the recipient.

Do I need a Leitweg-ID?

Only for invoices to public authorities. The Ministry's FAQ says that between businesses no Leitweg-ID is needed, and that where a format requires the buyer reference field (BT-10), a stand-in such as a dash is enough for VAT purposes.

Do small businesses (Kleinunternehmer) have to send e-invoices?

No. Under section 34a UStDV a small business invoice may always be sent as an ordinary invoice, such as a PDF. But small businesses must be able to receive e-invoices, and the Ministry says an email inbox is enough for that.

Check the e-invoice before you send it

Open the ZUGFeRD PDF or the XRechnung XML in the free e-invoice viewer to see what the recipient's software will read.

Open the e-invoice viewer
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