Electronic Invoices by the Standard

ZUGFeRD (Central User Guide of the Forum for Electronic Invoicing Germany) combines human-readable PDF invoices with machine-readable XML data in a single file. With the ZUGFeRD package in Nuxbe, you create and process electronic invoices that seamlessly meet both requirements.

Starting in 2025, electronic invoicing becomes mandatory for B2B transactions in Germany. With Nuxbe, you are well prepared - not only for the German regulation but also for EU-wide e-invoicing requirements such as XRechnung and Peppol.

Automatic ZUGFeRD-Compliant PDF Generation

Every invoice is automatically generated as a hybrid ZUGFeRD PDF: visually appealing for the human recipient and simultaneously embedded with XML data for automated processing. You don't need to change anything in your invoicing process - ZUGFeRD compliance happens in the background.

Incoming Invoice Processing

Received ZUGFeRD invoices are automatically read and the structured data is transferred directly into your system. Invoice amounts, tax rates, bank details, and line items are captured without manual typing - reducing errors and significantly speeding up invoice verification.

PDF/A-3 as the archive format

The invoice that comes out is a PDF/A-3 document, a format built for long-term retention that carries the XML file as an attachment. Nuxbe converts the rendered invoice PDF through Ghostscript and embeds the colour profile the standard requires. Recipients see none of this and open an ordinary PDF.

In practice

Where the package earns its place

Outgoing invoices, no extra step

As soon as the invoice PDF sits on the order, Nuxbe assembles the structured data from positions, VAT rates, currency and bank details and places it inside the document. Whoever writes the invoice never notices the standard.

Incoming invoices, no retyping

When an e-invoice arrives as a PDF or as plain XML, Nuxbe reads out supplier, VAT ID, IBAN, positions and VAT rates and creates the purchase invoice from them. Contacts and products are matched by number or EAN. One command also works through documents that were already in the system before the package was installed.

Clearing recurring invoices

If the gross total of a parsed invoice matches an open instalment of a purchase subscription exactly, Nuxbe can close that instalment itself. On any mismatch the instalment stays open and waits for a decision.

Setup

Two switches and one program on the server

Two switches decide what happens: one for the conversion to PDF/A, one for embedding the ZUGFeRD data. Both are on by default. The configuration also names the model and the document collection involved, out of the box the order and its invoices.

The conversion to PDF/A needs Ghostscript on the server. That is the only dependency outside PHP. Without it you still get an invoice with attached XML, just not a compliant archive format.

Whether a matching subscription instalment closes automatically is a single setting in the interface. Everything else runs on data you maintain anyway: VAT rates, currency, bank details and the client address.

Requirements

Ghostscript on the server for PDF/A
An invoice PDF in the document collection the package watches
Maintained VAT rates and bank details on the client
Product numbers or EANs so incoming positions can be matched
For automatic clearing, a purchase subscription with an open instalment

Limits

Where the package stops

Only the XRechnung 3 profile is produced. Nuxbe does not write the leaner ZUGFeRD profiles, and the few fields that exist only in the Extended profile stay empty. That covers German and European invoicing; it does not cover Extended-only special cases.

The package creates and reads files, it does not transmit them. Delivery over the Peppol network needs an access point of its own. Sending by email remains the usual route.

Only documents that actually carry structured data are read. A scanned or purely visual PDF is not interpreted; text recognition is not part of the package. Where a product or contact match stays ambiguous, the field is left empty rather than guessed.

All packages included

All premium packages are included in the Nuxbe license. Contact us for more information.

Contact

ZUGFeRD E-Invoicing