E-Invoice Glossary
The complete reference for European e-invoicing terminology. From EN16931 business terms to country-specific identifiers.
Popular Terms
BT-1 Invoice Number
BT-1 is the unique sequential identifier assigned to an invoice by the seller, required in every EN 16931 e-invoice.
BT-10 Buyer Reference
BT-10 is a text identifier assigned by the buyer that the seller must include on the invoice for routing or reference purposes.
Chorus Pro
Chorus Pro is France's government platform for receiving and processing B2G e-invoices, mandatory for all invoices to French public entities.
Codice SDI
The Codice SDI (Codice Destinatario) is a 7-character alphanumeric code that routes FatturaPA invoices to the correct recipient through Italy's SDI system.
EN16931
EN16931 is the European standard for electronic invoicing that defines the semantic data model and business rules all compliant e-invoices must follow.
Endpoint ID
The Endpoint ID is the unique identifier that locates a business on the Peppol network, combining a scheme ID with a national business registration number.
Enterprise Number (Belgium)
The KBO/BCE enterprise number is a unique 10-digit identifier assigned to every business entity registered in Belgium, used as the primary business identifier in Belgian e-invoicing.
Factur-X
Factur-X is the French name for the ZUGFeRD hybrid e-invoice format that embeds structured XML inside a PDF, enabling both human and machine readability.
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Business Terms (BT)
EN16931 semantic data model fields like BT-1, BT-10, BT-46
BT-1 Invoice Number
BT-1 is the unique sequential identifier assigned to an invoice by the seller, required in every EN 16931 e-invoice.
BT-10 Buyer Reference
BT-10 is a text identifier assigned by the buyer that the seller must include on the invoice for routing or reference purposes.
BT-2 Invoice Issue Date
BT-2 is the date when the invoice was issued by the seller, mandatory in every EN 16931 e-invoice.
BT-24 Specification Identifier
BT-24 identifies which specification (CIUS) the invoice conforms to, such as XRechnung, Peppol BIS 3.0, or core EN 16931.
BT-31 Seller VAT Identifier
BT-31 is the seller's VAT registration number, required when the invoice includes VAT and essential for EU intra-community transactions.
BT-46 Buyer Identifier
BT-46 is an identifier for the buyer, such as a registration number, that helps uniquely identify the purchasing organization.
BT-48 Buyer VAT Identifier
BT-48 is the buyer's VAT registration number, required for intra-community supplies and reverse charge transactions in EU e-invoicing.
BT-5 Invoice Currency Code
BT-5 is the currency code for all monetary amounts in the invoice, using ISO 4217 three-letter codes like EUR, USD, or GBP.
BT-63 Seller Tax Registration
BT-63 is the seller's tax registration identifier used in countries where a tax registration separate from VAT exists, such as Germany's Steuernummer.
Business Groups (BG)
EN16931 structural groups like BG-4 Seller, BG-7 Buyer
BG-4 Seller
BG-4 is the EN 16931 business group that contains all information identifying and describing the seller (supplier) of goods or services on the invoice.
BG-7 Buyer
BG-7 is the EN 16931 business group that contains all information identifying and describing the buyer (customer) of goods or services on the invoice.
Standards & Formats
EN16931, Peppol BIS, XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, etc.
CIUS (Core Invoice Usage Specification)
A country- or sector-specific customization of the EN 16931 European e-invoicing standard that restricts or refines the core data model without breaking interoperability. Examples include XRechnung (Germany), Peppol BIS 3.0, and CIUS-IT (Italy).
EN16931
EN16931 is the European standard for electronic invoicing that defines the semantic data model and business rules all compliant e-invoices must follow.
Factur-X
Factur-X is the French name for the ZUGFeRD hybrid e-invoice format that embeds structured XML inside a PDF, enabling both human and machine readability.
FatturaPA
FatturaPA is Italy's national e-invoice format required for all B2B and B2G invoicing through the SDI (Sistema di Interscambio) platform.
PDF/A-3
An ISO-standardized archival PDF format (ISO 19005-3) that allows embedding files of any type — including XML invoice data. It is the container format that makes ZUGFeRD and Factur-X hybrid invoices possible.
Peppol
Peppol is a European e-invoicing network that enables businesses to exchange electronic documents across borders using a standardized format and secure infrastructure.
XRechnung
XRechnung is Germany's national CIUS (Core Invoice Usage Specification) that extends EN16931 with German-specific requirements for B2G e-invoicing.
ZUGFeRD
ZUGFeRD is a German hybrid e-invoice format that embeds structured XML data inside a PDF/A-3 document, making invoices both human-readable and machine-processable.
Infrastructure & Systems
Peppol network, SDI, Chorus Pro, KSeF, etc.
Chorus Pro
Chorus Pro is France's government platform for receiving and processing B2G e-invoices, mandatory for all invoices to French public entities.
Four Corner Model
The Four Corner Model is the federated network architecture used by Peppol, where invoices travel from sender through two intermediary Access Points to the receiver.
KSeF
KSeF (Krajowy System e-Faktur) is Poland's national e-invoice system that will become mandatory for all B2B invoicing in February 2026.
Peppol Access Point
A Peppol Access Point is a certified service provider that connects businesses to the Peppol network, handling message routing, AS4 transport, SMP registration, and delivery receipts.
SDI (Sistema di Interscambio)
SDI is Italy's central government platform that receives, validates, and routes all electronic invoices for both B2B and B2G transactions.
Technical Concepts
schemeID, EndpointID, AS4, XAdES, etc.
PDF/A-3
PDF/A-3 (ISO 19005-3) is an archival PDF format that allows embedded file attachments, making it the required container format for ZUGFeRD and Factur-X hybrid e-invoices.
Schematron
Schematron is an XML-based validation language that checks business rules in e-invoices using XPath expressions, producing specific error codes when conditions fail.
Business Concepts
Credit notes, reverse charge, self-billing, etc.
Country Identifiers
KVK, Leitweg-ID, SIRET, NIP, etc.
Codice SDI
The Codice SDI (Codice Destinatario) is a 7-character alphanumeric code that routes FatturaPA invoices to the correct recipient through Italy's SDI system.
Endpoint ID
The Endpoint ID is the unique identifier that locates a business on the Peppol network, combining a scheme ID with a national business registration number.
Enterprise Number (Belgium)
The KBO/BCE enterprise number is a unique 10-digit identifier assigned to every business entity registered in Belgium, used as the primary business identifier in Belgian e-invoicing.
KVK Number
The KVK number is an 8-digit Dutch Chamber of Commerce registration number that uniquely identifies businesses registered in the Netherlands, widely used as the primary Peppol identifier.
Leitweg-ID
A structured routing identifier used in German public-sector e-invoicing to direct XRechnung invoices to the correct government entity and internal department. Mapped to the BT-10 (Buyer Reference) field.
NIF/CIF
NIF and CIF are Spanish tax identification numbers — NIF for individuals and CIF for companies — required on all Spanish e-invoices.
NIP
NIP is the Polish tax identification number (Numer Identyfikacji Podatkowej), a 10-digit code required for all B2B e-invoicing through KSeF.
Partita IVA
Partita IVA is the Italian VAT identification number, an 11-digit code required on all invoices involving Italian businesses.
Peppol ID
A Peppol ID is a participant identifier on the Peppol network, composed of an ISO 6523 scheme ID and a national business registration number.
Scheme ID
A Scheme ID is a code that identifies the type of business identifier used in an e-invoice, such as a VAT number, chamber of commerce registration, or national enterprise number.
SIRET Number
SIRET is a 14-digit French establishment identification number (SIREN 9 + NIC 5) that uniquely identifies a specific business location, used in Factur-X and PDP-based e-invoicing.
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