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XRechnung viewer: open and read an XRechnung

An XRechnung is an XML file, so your browser or editor shows it as code. Upload it here to see it as a normal invoice: who sent it, every line, the VAT and the amount due, and where to pay. Then save it as a readable PDF if you need one. Free, no signup, and the file is never stored.

Or paste the XML

We don't store, log or share the file. It's read, checked and discarded within the request. Passing these rules means the file is technically valid against the published specifications. It doesn't guarantee that a buyer or tax authority will accept it, and it isn't tax advice.

Why an XRechnung opens as code

XRechnung is Germany's format for e-invoices under the European standard EN 16931. Unlike a PDF it has no layout at all: it is structured data in XML, written in one of two syntaxes, UBL or UN/CEFACT CII, so that accounting software can read it without anyone retyping it.

Since 1 January 2025, every business in Germany must be able to receive e-invoices from other German businesses, and an email inbox is enough for that (BMF FAQ on the e-invoice). So many people now get these files by email without software that shows them.

The viewer opens more than XRechnung: ZUGFeRD and Factur-X invoices (a PDF with the XML inside; we read the XML) and Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 invoices, the format Belgian businesses exchange.

What you'll see

  • The parties: seller and buyer with addresses, VAT IDs, electronic addresses and contacts.
  • The header: invoice number, dates, currency, and the buyer reference or Leitweg-ID that public-sector buyers require.
  • The lines: quantity, unit price, VAT category and rate, and net amount for each, plus any allowances and charges.
  • The money: the VAT breakdown, the totals and the amount due, then bank details, payment terms and notes. Attachments embedded in the XML are listed by name.
  • The check: whether the file passes the XML schema, the EN 16931 rules and the XRechnung rules, with each error explained.

Values are shown exactly as they are in the file, and nothing is recalculated, so you see what the recipient's software reads. Codes stay codes: VAT category S is the standard rate, AE reverse charge; payment means 58 is a SEPA credit transfer. How to open and read an XRechnung maps every field to its place in the XML.

Other free ways to open it

  • The tax administration's viewer. The BMF's FAQ points to the e-invoice viewer on the ELSTER portal, e-rechnung.elster.de.
  • KoSIT's XRechnung visualization. KoSIT, which maintains XRechnung, publishes open-source stylesheets that turn an XRechnung into HTML or PDF. You run them with an XSLT processor, so they suit building viewing into your own software.
  • KoSIT's validator. The official reference validator is a Java command-line tool for checking files yourself; see how to validate an XRechnung.
  • Your accounting software. Many accounting tools import e-invoices directly; ask your provider what yours supports.

The PDF is a reading copy; keep the XML

On the result page, Download as readable PDF gives you the invoice as shown, with the check result and a footer saying which file it was made from. Use it to read, print, or pass the invoice on to whoever approves it.

It isn't an e-invoice and doesn't replace the file you received. In Germany, at least the XML must be kept unaltered, in its original form, for the retention period of eight years for invoices (§ 14b UStG), and the GoBD set out how electronic records are to be kept. A rendering you made yourself isn't the original. Receiving e-invoices in Germany covers checking and archiving in more detail.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Check what applies to your business with your tax advisor.

Sending invoices yourself?

If you bill from Stripe, evoicely turns every Stripe invoice into an XRechnung or ZUGFeRD file, checked with the same rules this viewer uses. Get started: it's free for 10 e-invoices a month.