---
title: What Is Factur-X? ZUGFeRD Explained
description: Factur-X (ZUGFeRD) is a hybrid e-invoice: a human-readable PDF with an embedded CII XML invoice. Here is how the profiles and the XML layer work.
canonical: https://stanzaapi.com/guides/factur-x-explained
---

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# What Is Factur-X? ZUGFeRD and the Hybrid e-Invoice

Factur-X, known as ZUGFeRD in Germany, is a hybrid e-invoice: a PDF/A-3 file with an embedded UN/CEFACT Cross Industry Invoice XML that machines read while humans see the PDF.

Updated 2026-10-01 · 4 min read

## What Factur-X is

Factur-X is a hybrid format: the invoice is a PDF that a person can read, with the structured invoice embedded inside it as XML. The German name for the same standard is ZUGFeRD.

The point is to satisfy both a human workflow and an automated one from a single file.

## The XML layer

The embedded XML is a UN/CEFACT Cross Industry Invoice. It carries the seller, the buyer, the lines, and the totals, with a guideline identifier that names the profile.

Because it is XML, it inherits XML risks — external entities and entity expansion among them — which a parser must refuse.

## The profiles

Factur-X defines profiles from a minimal bookkeeping invoice to a full one with all the EN 16931 business terms. The profile identifier in the XML says which one applies.

## Where validation fails

Common defects are a missing guideline identifier, totals that do not balance against the lines, and a negative line on an invoice. A validator checks the profile rules and the arithmetic before the file is accepted.

## Try it on real data

[Factur-X & ZUGFeRD 2.3 E-Invoice Validation Engine → — Extract and validate Factur-X, ZUGFeRD 2.x and EN 16931 hybrid invoices from PDF/A-3 or CII XML in under 5ms — Open the tool](/tools/factur-x-validator/)

## Frequently Asked Questions

Is Factur-X the same as ZUGFeRD?

Yes. Factur-X is the French name and ZUGFeRD the German name for the same hybrid e-invoice standard.

What is inside a Factur-X file?

A PDF/A-3 with an embedded UN/CEFACT Cross Industry Invoice XML holding the structured invoice data.

Why is it called hybrid?

Because one file serves both: a human reads the PDF, a machine reads the embedded XML.

## Primary sources

- [FNFE-MPE — Factur-X](https://fnfe-mpe.org/factur-x/)
- [UN/CEFACT — Cross Industry Invoice](https://unece.org/trade/uncefact)