Leitweg-ID & B2G
Leitweg-ID in German B2G e-invoices (XRechnung)
Short answer: the Leitweg-ID is the routing address that gets an XRechnung to the correct inbox inside German public administration (B2G). It is mandatory for invoices to public authorities, lives in the EN 16931 field BT-10 (Buyer reference), and is assigned by the buyer — you cannot invent it.
What is the Leitweg-ID?
When a company invoices a public body (federal, state or municipal), a technically valid XRechnung alone is not enough. The invoice must also be routed to the right receiving unit. The Leitweg-ID does exactly that: it identifies the recipient inside the administration so the inbound portal (for example the federal ZRE, OZG-RE or state portals) can deliver the invoice. It is an addressing field, not a tax field.
How is the Leitweg-ID structured?
- Coarse address — identifies the superordinate body (often derived from an official key), 2–12 digits.
- Fine address — optional, up to 30 alphanumeric characters for the concrete organisational unit.
- Check digit — two digits, computed by a fixed procedure; it must not be freely chosen.
Scheme: coarse-fine-checkdigit (up to 46 characters). Example pattern: 04011000-12345-06. The exact value is always provided by the buyer.
Where do I find my Leitweg-ID?
- In the order, contract or purchase document from the authority.
- In the order confirmation or a direct notice from the responsible unit.
- On request from the procurement office / invoice inbox of the authority.
A guessed, outdated or invalid Leitweg-ID is rejected by the inbound portal — even when the XRechnung itself is technically flawless.
Leitweg-ID in EN 16931: field BT-10
In the EN 16931 structure — and therefore in XRechnung as well as ZUGFeRD/Factur-X — the Leitweg-ID is carried in BT-10 “Buyer reference”. For B2G invoices this field is where the Leitweg-ID belongs. For pure B2B invoices BT-10, if used at all, typically carries a purchase-order or buyer reference number.
B2B or B2G: do I need a Leitweg-ID at all?
The Leitweg-ID is a B2G requirement. If you invoice only other businesses (B2B) you do not need one. As soon as a public authority is the recipient, a valid Leitweg-ID is mandatory in addition to a format-compliant XRechnung. See also ZUGFeRD, Factur-X, XRechnung and EN 16931 compared.
How fakturai helps
The free fakturai validator checks the technical EN 16931 structure of your ZUGFeRD, Factur-X or XRechnung file — including whether the buyer reference (BT-10) is present. So you can see before sending whether the field central to B2G routing is populated. The actual assignment and validity of the concrete Leitweg-ID remains with the buyer and the inbound portal. fakturai is not tax advice and makes no legal, tax or delivery guarantees.
Next step
Validate an existing XRechnung file for free before you send it.
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