Creating XRechnung and ZUGFeRD from PDF

The metamorphosis from PDF to e-invoice

Since 2025, the obligation to use electronic invoices for domestic B2B sales has been in force in Germany (§ UStG (German Value Added Tax Act)). The Federal Ministry of Finance has defined the following transitional regulations for this purpose:

• from 01.01.2025: All companies must be able to receive e-invoices
• 2025–2026: PDF invoices remain permissible during the transition period
• from 01.01.2027: Obligation to issue e-invoices for companies with > annual turnover of €800,000
• from 2028: Final changeover for all companies – PDF without XML is no longer valid

This makes it clear: the classic PDF invoice is being phased out.

What is e-invoice?

An e-invoice is an invoice that is issued, transmitted, and received as a structured electronic document. This enables automatic processing (EU Directive 2014/55/EU). A PDF-only file does not meet these requirements.

Formats in Germany

• XRechnung: pure XML, standard for the public sector.
• ZUGFeRD: hybrid format, PDF + embedded XML.

Both formats comply with the requirements of the EU standard EN 16931 and the Federal E-Invoicing Ordinance and can be used for B2B and B2G.

With the pedif-Service PDF to E-Invoice , you can easily and reliably convert your PDF invoices into XRechnung and ZUGFeRD. Once set up, this works automatically and in seconds.

But pedif is more. As a universal converter, various document types such as orders, order confirmations, delivery notes, etc. can be converted into structured, machine-readable data.

• Creation of a fingerprint from a few sample invoices
• 100% correct extraction without OCR
• Output in XRechnung, ZUGFeRD or any other structured target format
• Can also be used for other PDF documents for a fully electronic order cycle

In this way, rigid PDFs become a machine-readable data stream that closes EDI gaps and automates processes.

Interested?

Your pedif.digital team is looking forward to a non-binding consultation on the creation of e-invoices and the electronic order cycle.