Factur-X and ZUGFeRD for your French and German customers
Selling to businesses in France or Germany? PeppolKit sends them an invoice their bookkeeping reads in automatically. It is still an ordinary PDF, with the invoice data inside.
What is Factur-X?
Factur-X is a PDF anyone can open, with the invoice data inside as an XML file. Your customer sees an ordinary invoice. Their accounting software reads the invoice number, amounts, VAT and VAT numbers straight from it, without anyone retyping anything.
In Germany the same format is called ZUGFeRD. A French and a German organisation maintain it together, and technically Factur-X and ZUGFeRD are identical.
- Version: Factur-X 1.0, in Germany ZUGFeRD 2.x.
- Profile: EN 16931, the European standard for e-invoices.
- File: a PDF/A-3 with the XML file inside. Any PDF reader opens it.
Who gets which invoice?
| Your customer | What they get |
|---|---|
| Consumer | A PDF by email, as now. |
| Belgian business on Peppol | An e-invoice over Peppol, as now. |
| Business without a Peppol address, for example in France or Germany | A Factur-X by email: the PDF, with the invoice data inside. |
There's nothing to set up. PeppolKit chooses per order, on every plan and at no extra cost.
Is it required by law?
For a webshop in Belgium or the Netherlands: as far as we know, mostly not. The French and German rules apply to businesses established in those countries. Factur-X is a service to your customer, not a duty for you.
France
- Since 1 September 2026 every French VAT-registered business must be able to receive e-invoices, through a platform approved by the tax authority (a plateforme agréée). Large companies have been sending them since then too.
- From 1 September 2027 SMEs and micro-businesses send e-invoices too. They then also report their sales to consumers and abroad to the tax authority (e-reporting).
- The e-invoicing obligation covers sales between businesses established in France. According to the French tax authority, it does not apply to foreign businesses without a permanent establishment in France.
- If you sell to French consumers and declare that VAT through OSS, those sales fall outside French e-reporting.
Germany
- Since 1 January 2025 every German business must be able to receive e-invoices.
- Sending becomes mandatory step by step. Until the end of 2026 an invoice may still be on paper or a plain PDF, and until the end of 2027 for businesses with a turnover of no more than €800,000. From 2028 it applies to everyone.
- The obligation only applies when seller and buyer are both established in Germany. If either one is not, there is no obligation, says the German Federal Ministry of Finance.
- In Germany a ZUGFeRD invoice counts as an e-invoice from version 2.0.1, except in the MINIMUM and BASIC-WL profiles. PeppolKit uses the full EN 16931 profile.
So why bother?
Because your customer saves time. French and German businesses are setting up their bookkeeping around e-invoices now. An invoice that reads itself in doesn't need retyping. Fewer mistakes, fewer questions, and your invoice gets processed sooner.
How PeppolKit handles it
For every paid order, PeppolKit creates an invoice with the right VAT, for example reverse charge for EU businesses with a valid VAT number. If your customer is a business without a Peppol address, the PDF is a Factur-X with the EN 16931 profile. Belgian businesses on Peppol get their invoice over Peppol, as now. It's in every plan, including the free plan.
Frequently asked questions
Can my customer open a Factur-X without special software?
Yes. It's an ordinary PDF. If your customer's accounting software doesn't read Factur-X, they simply see the invoice.
As a Belgian or Dutch webshop, do I have to send e-invoices to France or Germany?
As far as we know, no, as long as you are not established in those countries: there the obligation applies to businesses established there. If you have an establishment or your own VAT number in France or Germany, check with your accountant.
Is Factur-X the same as Peppol?
No. Peppol is a network that delivers e-invoices into your customer's accounting software. Factur-X is a PDF with the invoice data inside, sent by email. Belgian businesses on Peppol get their invoice over Peppol.
What do my French and German consumers get?
An ordinary PDF by email. Consumers don't need an e-invoice. If you declare your sales to French consumers through OSS, you don't also have to report them through French e-reporting.
Does Factur-X cost extra?
No. It's in every plan, including the free plan.
Sources: French tax authority: the reform (in French), e-reporting for foreign businesses (in French), German Federal Ministry of Finance: e-invoice FAQ (in German), § 27(38) UStG, FNFE-MPE on Factur-X.
Your French and German customers, well served.
PeppolKit turns every order into the right invoice: over Peppol, as a Factur-X or as a PDF.
Choose your platform Start free with 10 invoices a month.A summary for orientation, not tax advice. The rules as we read them in November 2026; for your situation, check with your accountant.