ZUGFeRD & Factur-X
ZUGFeRD viewer: the XML inside the PDF, laid out to read
A ZUGFeRD invoice looks like an ordinary PDF. The actual e-invoice is an XML attachment inside it — and that is what the recipient’s software reads, not the picture. This viewer takes the XML out and lays it out to read, so you can compare it with the visible PDF.
Free · no sign-up · no upload: the PDF is read in your browser.
Or paste XML
XML or PDF, up to 5 MB — or just drop a file here. No sign-up, no allowance to spend.
The view is built in your browser — the file is not uploaded for it. Only “Check” sends it to our API, which checks it in memory and then discards it.
No ZUGFeRD PDF at hand? Show a sample
One click shows the file right here — downloading is optional.
- ValidValid invoice (ZUGFeRD PDF)
A hybrid of readable PDF and embedded CII invoice — produced by NormAPI generation, verified like every sample.
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- 1Choose a ZUGFeRD or Factur-X PDF, or drop it on the page.
- 2The viewer finds the invoice attachment and lays out its content.
- 3Compare it with the visible PDF — and check it against the KoSIT rule set if you want.
What is inside a ZUGFeRD PDF
A ZUGFeRD PDF is a PDF/A-3 in two parts: the view every PDF reader shows, and an attached XML file under EN 16931 — factur-x.xml, zugferd-invoice.xml, or xrechnung.xml for XRechnung hybrids, depending on the version. Factur-X is the same format under its French name.
The XML is the structured invoice that accounting software imports. Nothing on the picture is read by any software.
Why the XML is worth a look
The issuer’s software produces the picture and the XML separately, and they can differ: another amount, a missing order number, an old bank account. What gets booked is what the XML says. Checking only the picture checks the wrong thing.
The viewer lays out the XML so you can hold it against the familiar picture: header, parties, lines, VAT, totals and payment details, every field with its BT number.
ZUGFeRD profiles
ZUGFeRD has several profiles with different amounts of detail: MINIMUM and BASIC WL carry only basic data, BASIC, EN 16931 and EXTENDED the full invoice, XRECHNUNG the German specification. The viewer shows what the XML holds — little, for MINIMUM.
For a German B2B invoice MINIMUM and BASIC WL do not suffice; they are not e-invoices under EN 16931. The check below the view then says “not checked” rather than giving a verdict.
What happens to your file
The PDF is read in your browser; it does not leave your computer for that. Only when you choose “Check” does the file go to our API, where it is checked in memory and then discarded.
Frequently asked questions
How can I read out a ZUGFeRD file?
Choose the PDF here or drop it on the page: the viewer takes out the XML attachment and lays it out. Without a viewer, many PDF readers can save the attachment from their attachments pane — then you have the XML, but only as code.
Can ZUGFeRD invoices be read?
Yes, on two levels: any PDF reader opens the picture. The XML inside — the part accounting software processes — is what this viewer lays out to read.
How do I make a ZUGFeRD invoice readable?
The visible PDF is readable already. What needs making readable is the embedded XML: drop the file here and it appears field by field, with BT numbers.
How do I recognise a ZUGFeRD file?
By its attachment: a ZUGFeRD PDF carries an XML file named factur-x.xml, zugferd-invoice.xml or xrechnung.xml, visible in the attachments pane of many PDF readers. Or drop it here — if it holds no invoice XML, the viewer says so.
Is ZUGFeRD the same as Factur-X?
Yes, since ZUGFeRD 2.1 the two are technically identical: one format, called ZUGFeRD in Germany and Factur-X in France. The viewer reads both.
Which ZUGFeRD versions does the viewer show?
ZUGFeRD 2 and Factur-X in every profile, from MINIMUM to EXTENDED and XRECHNUNG. The older ZUGFeRD 1.0 uses a different data format and is not shown.
Is my PDF uploaded?
Not for viewing: the PDF is read in your browser. Only if you also have it checked does it go to our API, where it is checked in memory and discarded.
Is the ZUGFeRD viewer free?
Yes, with no sign-up. The check costs nothing either.