e-invoicing in Germany

Germany is introducing mandatory e-invoicing in phases. Starting from 1st of January 2025, all German companies have been required to be able to receive e-invoices. The obligation to send e-invoices will follow gradually: starting 1st of January 2027 for large and medium-sized companies, and from 1st of January 2028 for all companies, regardless of size.

German company account registration

When registering a new German company via the API, the VAT number must be used as the company identifier. At the moment, company registration requires the vendor to have KYC approval from Maventa. Contact Maventa support to get started.

Identifier	Description	Format	Validation
VAT number	German VAT identifier (Umsatzsteuer-Identifikationsnummer)	`DE123456789`	Structural validation via VIES

Sending in Germany

Supported delivery channels in Germany

For B2B and B2G, sending in Germany is currently supported in the following priority order: through Maventa’s internal network and through the Peppol network. Email and print delivery are also available as fallback options. Printing is currently handled through the Finnish production facility, with a local German print solution planned (timeline TBD).

For B2C, invoices are delivered via email and print only.

Receiving in Germany

In Germany, companies can receive invoices through different channels. If a company has activated e-invoice receiving, they can receive invoices via Maventa’s internal network. Additionally, if the company is registered with Peppol, Peppol receiving is available.

Address Type	Description	Example address	Activation Requirement
Peppol address	Official identifier for the Peppol network. Uses the VAT number with scheme `9930`.	9930:de811000000	Created when the company registers to receive from Peppol

Scanning

Scanning is available in Germany via the AutoScan solution.

For step-by-step instructions on enabling receiving, registering for Peppol, and setting up scanning, see the invoice receiving integration guide.

Accounts receivable services

Accounts receivable services for Germany are coming at a later date (timeline TBD).

Ropo Reminder & Collection will be available for German companies, offering reminder and debt collection services through Ropo. The service allows you to transfer overdue invoices to Ropo for reminder handling and collection directly through the Maventa API. For more details on how the service works, see the Accounts receivable section in the Integration Guide.

e-invoicing formats used in Germany

Format	Standard	Notes
Peppol BIS Billing 3.0	EN16931	Used for Peppol exchanges
XRechnung	EN16931	German national format, used in domestic Peppol traffic
ZuGFeRD	EN16931	Hybrid format (PDF with embedded XML). Support for sending as email attachment planned (timeline TBD)