How to open an XRechnung or ZUGFeRD e-invoice
Choose the XML file or the ZUGFeRD PDF above and it opens as a readable invoice. Opened in a text editor, an e-invoice is a wall of XML tags; this viewer shows invoice number and dates, seller and buyer with their addresses and VAT IDs, each line with quantity, price and VAT rate, the VAT breakdown, the totals, and the bank details and payment terms. It reads both syntaxes that the European standard EN 16931 allows, UBL 2.1 (invoices and credit notes) and UN/CEFACT Cross Industry Invoice, so it opens XRechnung files as well as the XML inside a ZUGFeRD or Factur-X PDF.
Viewer or XRechnung validator: what the checks cover
Only want to know whether an invoice is usable? The e-invoice checker shows the verdict first and adds the German profile rule and the VAT ID, IBAN and Leitweg-ID check digits.
After reading the invoice, the viewer runs a short list of checks taken from the EN 16931 business rules, each shown with its rule number:
- Required information, such as invoice number (BT-1), issue date (BT-2), currency (BT-5), seller and buyer, and the totals.
- Sums: the lines add up to the line total (BR-CO-10), total without VAT plus VAT equals the total with VAT (BR-CO-15), the VAT breakdown adds up to the VAT total (BR-CO-14), and each rate's VAT equals its taxable amount times the rate (BR-CO-17).
- XRechnung extras when the file says it is an XRechnung: the buyer reference (BR-DE-15), payment instructions and the seller's contact details.
This is a viewer with basic checks, not a validator. It does not test the XML schema, code lists or the many other official rules, so an invoice can pass here and still be rejected. For full validation use the official KoSIT validator, which the XRechnung project publishes with an XRechnung configuration. The sample invoices on this page pass that validator, and the sample with errors fails it on the same rules this viewer reports.
Why this matters in Germany
Section 14 of the German VAT Act defines an e-invoice as one issued, sent and received in a structured electronic format that allows electronic processing; an invoice in any other electronic format, such as a plain PDF, is an "other invoice". Since 1 January 2025 businesses in Germany must be able to receive such invoices from other German businesses, and sending them becomes compulsory in stages up to 2028. Anyone who receives an XRechnung without software that displays it can read it here for free. The EU e-invoicing tracker lists the dates for every European country.
A free e-invoice viewer with no download
The XML is read with your browser's own XML reader, and the XML inside a PDF is taken out with pdf.js running on your device. Nothing is uploaded, logged or stored: the page sends only tiny counters with an event name and no file content. How to check this yourself.
Sources
- German VAT Act (UStG), section 14 and section 27(38), transition rules
- European Commission: eInvoicing in Germany
- EN 16931 validation artefacts (CEN/TC 434), the source of the BR rule texts
- XRechnung project (KoSIT): versions, validator and specification
Sources checked 26 October 2026. Sample invoices use fictional companies.