This article examines how the standard has evolved, and how you can use the dual-licensed iText Core library to easily create ZUGFeRD-compatible files. Electronic invoicing offers numerous benefits over traditional paper-based invoicing, including increased efficiency, reduced costs, and improved accuracy.
However, e-invoicing is swiftly becoming a necessity, not just a convenience. For example, EN the European standard for e-invoicing will come into effect on 1 st January This standard specifies what invoices must contain to comply with the EU Directive on electronic invoicing in public procurement.
Compliance with EN is crucial as it ensures uniformity, accuracy, and legal validity of invoices across the EU, facilitating smoother cross-border transactions and reducing administrative burdens. Moreover, the landscape of electronic invoicing is evolving, with several countries moving towards making e-invoicing mandatory for nearly all transactions. In Germany, electronic invoices will be required for all B2B transactions starting in , with transitional rules taking effect from January 1, All companies in France must be able to receive electronic invoices by September This makes sense, since such hybrid invoices are also compliant with the EN standard and so can be a great solution for companies of any size.
They also adhere to GDPR requirements, ensuring that sensitive customer and transaction data is handled securely. First of all, though, we should probably explain what EN defines as an e-invoice. The EN European Standard defines an e-invoice as a structured electronic invoice adhering to a unified semantic data model. EN was established to ensure common interoperability and a common understanding of e-invoice content across the European Union.
Countries outside the EU have also adopted the standard for their own e-invoicing systems, such as Norway, Switzerland , and the United Kingdom. In addition to the semantic data model which defines the common structure and business terms used in e-invoices, another core element is the syntax binding. While both are XML-based standards, CII was designed specifically for exchanging invoices electronically, while UBL is a more generalized format for electronic business documents.
