How to Receive E-Invoices in Germany
Technical and operational requirements for receiving structured e-invoices
Last verified: 15 January 2025(verification pending)
Source: German Federal Ministry of Finance
Germany Receiving E-Invoices — Key Facts
- Mandatory From
- January 1, 2025
- Supported Formats
- XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, Peppol BIS
- Retention Period
- 10 years
- Peppol Registration
- Recommended
Overview
From January 2025, all German businesses must be able to receive structured e-invoices from their suppliers. This requires technical capability to parse EN 16931-compliant formats and integrate invoice data into accounting systems.
Requirements
Your systems must be able to receive invoices via email or Peppol, parse XRechnung/ZUGFeRD/Peppol BIS XML formats, extract and validate invoice data, and store invoices in a compliant archive for 10 years.
How to Comply
Update your accounting software to support e-invoice formats. Most modern ERP systems (SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Exact Online) have e-invoicing modules. For smaller businesses, consider dedicated e-invoicing solutions or Peppol Access Point providers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need special software to receive e-invoices?
Yes, your accounting software must be able to parse structured XML formats. Most modern accounting solutions support this, but you may need to enable or configure the feature.
Can I still accept PDF invoices?
You should still accept PDF invoices from suppliers not yet required to send e-invoices. However, be prepared to process structured formats as more suppliers adopt them.
Check Your Specific Requirements
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