Open and read an e-invoice without accounting software
Drag the file into the box or choose it: sender, line items, VAT and amount due appear at once as an invoice. Everything is read in your browser.
Invoice from Muster Webdesign GmbH
€1,323.38
XRechnung · UBL
| Number | RE-2026-0415 |
| Date | 25/10/2026 |
| Due | 08/11/2026 |
| Pre-check | No errors |
Example with made-up data
Seller
Muster Webdesign GmbH
Beispielweg 12
10115 Berlin
- VAT ID:
- DE123456789
- Tax number:
- 30/123/45678
- Contact:
- Buchhaltung · +49 30 0000000 · rechnung@muster-webdesign.example
- Electronic address:
- rechnung@muster-webdesign.example (EM)
Buyer
Beispiel Handel KG
Musterstraße 5
50667 Köln
- VAT ID:
- DE987654321
- Electronic address:
- eingang@beispiel-handel.example (EM)
Invoice RE-2026-0415
- Number
- RE-2026-0415
- Date
- 25/10/2026
- Delivery date
- 20/10/2026
- Due
- 08/11/2026
- Buyer reference (BT-10)
- -
| No. | Description | Qty | Price | VAT | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Home page design | 12 hour | €85.00 | 19% | €1,020.00 |
| 2 | Hosting October 2026 | 1 month | €29.90 | 19% | €29.90 |
| 3 | Accessibility handbook | 2 piece | €34.58 | 7% | €69.16 |
| Sum of lines | €1,119.06 |
| Total excl. VAT | €1,119.06 |
| VAT 19% | €199.48 |
| VAT 7% | €4.84 |
| Total incl. VAT | €1,323.38 |
| Amount due | €1,323.38 |
Payment: SEPA credit transfer
Account DE02120300000000202051 · Account holder Muster Webdesign GmbH
Terms: Payable within 14 days without deduction.
Technical details
- Syntax
- UBL 2.1
- Standard
- XRechnung 3.0
- Profile
- XRECHNUNG
- Specification (BT-24)
- urn:cen.eu:en16931:2017#compliant#urn:xeinkauf.de:kosit:xrechnung_3.0
- Process (BT-23)
- urn:fdc:peppol.eu:2017:poacc:billing:01:1.0
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · VAT Act, ministry letters and XRechnung 3.0.2 checked on 25 October 2026
An XRechnung is a pure XML file; double-click it and your browser or editor shows nothing but nested lines of code. It only becomes readable through a viewer that translates the fields of the European standard EN 16931 into a familiar invoice layout. The viewer on this page reads XRechnung in both syntaxes (UBL and CII), ZUGFeRD and Factur-X as XML or as a PDF with embedded XML, and credit notes too. It shows seller and buyer, invoice number, date, every line with quantity and price, the VAT breakdown, the amount due and the bank details. You can print the view or save it as a PDF through the print dialog. One point matters for your books: legally the XML is what counts, not the printout. You must keep the file you received unchanged for 8 years. Nothing is uploaded: the file is read entirely in your browser window, with no account and no storage on any server.
Open an e-invoice in three steps
First save the email attachment to your computer; it is usually named after the invoice number and ends in .xml or .pdf. Then drag the file into the dashed box above or click the button to pick it. After a moment a card appears on the right with sender, amount due, number, date and due date, and below it the full invoice. Without a file of your own the viewer shows a sample with made-up data, so you can get to know the layout first.
The viewer identifies the file by itself. For an XML file it checks whether it is a UBL or CII invoice and then reads the specification identifier in field BT-24. That tells it whether it is an XRechnung, a ZUGFeRD or Factur-X file, or a Peppol invoice. For a PDF it looks through the attached files and extracts the invoice XML if there is one.
What the view shows
| Section | Standard fields | What you need it for |
|---|---|---|
| Header | BT-1, BT-2, BT-3, BT-9 | Number, date, invoice type and due date for payment |
| Parties | BG-4, BG-7 | Name, address, VAT ID or tax number of seller and buyer |
| Lines | BG-25 | Quantity, unit, unit price, net amount and VAT rate per line |
| Totals | BG-22, BG-23 | Net, VAT per rate, gross and amount due |
| Payment | BG-16, BT-20 | IBAN, payment means and payment terms |
| Technical | BT-24, BG-24 | Format, profile, attached documents |
Everything comes from the file alone. The viewer converts nothing and adds nothing. If the XML lacks bank details, for example, the field stays empty rather than showing a guess. You see exactly what the sender actually sent.
Is it an e-invoice at all?
Not every attachment is an e-invoice. Under section 14(1) UStG only a structured format under EN 16931 qualifies. A PDF without XML is an ordinary invoice, and so is a scan. If you are unsure what you received, this quick classification helps:
E-invoice under section 14 UStG?
E-invoice under section 14 UStG?
No
| Usable for domestic B2B from 2027/2028 | No |
| Receipt since 2025 | Only with your consent |
| To read it | Ordinary software |
Since 1 January 2025 you may not refuse a genuine e-invoice from a domestic supplier. According to the Federal Finance Ministry FAQ an email inbox is enough to receive it, and a viewer like this one is enough to read it and approve the payment.
Print, save as PDF, download the XML
The link “Print the invoice or save as PDF” opens your browser’s print dialog with the invoice view in A4. Choose a printer or “Save as PDF”. That PDF is a reading aid, for instance for a colleague who signs off payments. For a ZUGFeRD PDF you can also save the embedded XML separately, which some accounting programs ask for on import. How to turn an XRechnung into a lasting print version is covered in XRechnung to PDF.
Privacy: why nothing is uploaded
Invoices carry bank details, prices and names. The viewer therefore processes the file with JavaScript directly in your browser. There is no server that receives the file, no account and no history. Close the tab and the invoice is gone from the browser’s memory. If you prefer a public alternative, the German state tax administrations offer their own free visualisation tool.
After opening: check and file
Before you pay, it is worth checking for arithmetic errors and missing mandatory details; the XRechnung validator does that with the same file. Afterwards the XML goes unchanged into your records. The period under section 14b UStG is 8 years, and the amended GoBD require the original to stay machine-readable. Details on archiving e-invoices. The XRechnung version currently in force is 3.0.2; the viewer reads older versions too.