DEFINITION
The main e-invoice format in France. It’s a PDF you read as usual (to the PDF/A-3 standard), with a structured XML file inside it. France and Germany share the format, and in Germany it’s called ZUGFeRD. Clivio reads Factur-X invoices straight from their XML and marks them “Factur-X certified data”.
A PDF that carries its own data
A Factur-X looks like any PDF invoice. Inside it, attached under the name factur-x.xml, is an XML file written in the CII syntax, with the same information in named fields. People read the page, and software reads the XML without retyping. The PDF follows PDF/A-3, a version of PDF built for archiving that accepts attached files. Both parts must say the same thing, and under the French reform, the structured data is what counts.
The format is published by FNFE-MPE, the French e-invoicing forum, together with its German counterpart, FeRD.
Five profiles, from MINIMUM to EXTENDED
A profile sets how much the XML contains. MINIMUM and BASIC WL hold only the header and the totals, without the invoice lines, and don’t comply with EN 16931. BASIC, EN 16931 and EXTENDED include the lines and comply. The PDF can show the full invoice whatever the profile, but software only sees what’s in the XML.
How to tell, and what to avoid
On screen, nothing sets a Factur-X apart from an ordinary PDF, and a Factur-X logo printed on the page proves nothing. Look for factur-x.xml in the attachments panel of your PDF reader, or drop the file into our free reader, which tells you whether it found the XML. Then keep the file exactly as it arrived, for 10 years. Printing and scanning it, saving it again through “Print to PDF” or editing it in a PDF editor can strip out the XML.
Frequently asked questions
Is Factur-X mandatory in France?
No. It’s one of the three formats accepted by the reform, with UBL and CII. Your supplier or its platform chooses the format.
What’s the difference between Factur-X and ZUGFeRD?
Mostly the name. Since ZUGFeRD 2, the two specifications are written together, and a Factur-X and a recent ZUGFeRD of the same profile are technically equivalent. ZUGFeRD 1 isn’t compatible.
How do I turn a PDF into a Factur-X?
Have it produced by invoicing software or an accredited platform, which generates the XML and attaches it to a PDF/A-3. Renaming or re-saving a PDF doesn’t make it a Factur-X.
Further reading
Read a Factur-X invoiceConvert it to PDFCreate a Factur-X invoice