Factur-X EN 16931 Generator

Generate Factur-X hybrid PDF/A-3 invoices with embedded EN 16931 CII XML for France, Germany, and EU B2B mandates.

What this covers

Accepted in
France · Germany · EU
Standard
EN 16931 core
Format
PDF/A-3 + embedded CII XML

Why a hybrid format exists

Factur-X is the Franco-German answer to a transition problem: legal mandates demand machine-readable structured data, but humans still open, read, and approve invoices. A Factur-X file is a PDF/A-3 archive that embeds a CII XML document — the PDF is what a person sees, the XML is what software parses, and both come from one dataset so they cannot disagree.

In France's 2026–2027 reform, Factur-X is one of the three accepted formats alongside UBL and pure CII; in Germany it satisfies the EN 16931 requirement identically to ZUGFeRD (the two formats converged — Factur-X is effectively the joint successor). For a business selling into both markets, it is the one format that works everywhere without a pure-XML toolchain on the buyer's side.

What makes a Factur-X file actually compliant

Two layers must each be right. The PDF side must be PDF/A-3 — the archival profile that permits embedded files — with the XML attached under the correct relationship descriptor. The XML side must conform to the declared Factur-X profile (Minimum, Basic, EN 16931, Extended, or XRechnung-compatible); the profile name inside the XML tells validators which rules apply, and claiming EN 16931 profile while missing mandatory fields is the most common validation failure.

The fields that matter most: seller and buyer identifiers, document totals that reconcile with line sums and VAT groups (BR-CO-17 family of rules), tax category codes matching the rates applied, and payment terms in structured form. A PDF that looks perfect but whose XML fails a Schematron rule is not a compliant e-invoice — the machine-readable layer is the legally significant one.

Using this generator in a real workflow

Eurorix builds both layers from the same form data: the PDF you preview is rendered from the identical dataset embedded as CII XML. Export the file, and validate it with an independent checker — the FNFE-MPE and several open-source validators run Factur-X Schematron checks — before sending it through a PDP, Peppol access point, or customer portal.

For archiving, keep the Factur-X file itself as the retention copy: PDF/A-3 is designed for long-term preservation and carries the structured data inside the same artifact. French retention rules run six to ten years depending on the basis, German GoBD rules ten years — a single hybrid file covers both the human and the machine requirement for the whole period.

Last reviewed September 2026 by the Eurorix team.