Peppol & B2G
Peppol and German e-invoices: what you need to know
Short answer: Peppol is an international transmission network for electronic documents — not a format. In German B2G (invoices to public bodies) it is established; in domestic B2B it is not mandatory. The mandate concerns the format (EN 16931: ZUGFeRD/Factur-X or XRechnung), not the transmission channel.
What Peppol is — and is not
Peppol (Pan-European Public Procurement On-Line) is a network of certified access points for exchanging structured documents. It is not:
- An invoice format — the format is EN 16931 (XRechnung or Peppol BIS 3.0).
- An accounting system — it only transmits documents.
- Mandatory in German B2B.
Peppol in Germany: B2G vs B2B
- B2G (federal level) — XRechnung (EN 16931 CIUS DE); via OZG-RE portal, Peppol network or direct portals.
- B2G (states/municipalities) — mostly XRechnung; Peppol partially accepted.
- B2B (domestic) — EN 16931 (ZUGFeRD/Factur-X COMFORT or XRechnung); transmission free (email, API, DATEV portal, Peppol — not prescribed).
XRechnung vs Peppol BIS Billing 3.0: the technical difference
Both are EN 16931 CIUS — they refine the European core standard for a specific use case. The technical difference is small:
- XRechnung (CIUS DE) —
urn:cen.eu:en16931:2017#compliant#urn:xeinkauf.de:kosit:xrechnung_3.0. German mandatory additions (BR-DE rules, e.g. seller electronic address). - Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 —
urn:cen.eu:en16931:2017#compliant#urn:fdc:peppol.eu:2017:poacc:billing:3.0. European CIUS for Peppol network participants. Slightly different mandatory fields (no BR-DE, but Peppol-specific rules).
For routing over the Peppol network, you need a certified Peppol access point.
What fakturai can — and cannot — do
fakturai generates and checks EN 16931-compliant files (ZUGFeRD/Factur-X and XRechnung incl. BR-DE CIUS) against a KoSIT-aligned accept gate. fakturai is not a Peppol access point — it does not transmit documents over the Peppol network. For Peppol transmission you need a separate certified access point. Existing files (XRechnung, ZUGFeRD or a Peppol BIS export from a third-party system) can be validated for free without an account.
Validate an e-invoice for free
What fakturai does not replace
fakturai checks and generates the technical format and structural compliance per EN 16931 with a KoSIT-aligned accept gate. It is not a Peppol access point, not a transmission network and not tax advice. Content correctness, GoBD-compliant archiving, the choice of transmission channel and Peppol network registration remain your responsibility. fakturai makes no legal, tax or delivery guarantees.
Next step
Free German e-invoice validator · Create an API key
Related: XRechnung or ZUGFeRD · Leitweg-ID (B2G routing) · Transition periods 2025–2028 · XRechnung validation errors