Transmit invoices electronically via e-invoice platforms

You can submit invoices to public-sector clients completely electronically via the e-invoice receipt platforms of the federal government and the states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Thuringia, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony (as of June 2021).

If your company provides services to contracting authorities, you must submit your invoices electronically via the e-invoice receipt platforms. This applies to invoices to the following contracting authorities:

• All entities of the direct federal administration
• bodies of the indirect federal administration
• grant recipients (bodies outside the federal administration that receive services from the federal government, for example some museums) and
• cooperating federal states: Berlin, Brandenburg, Thuringia, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony (as of June 2021)

You can use the following transmission channels for submitting the electronic invoice:

• Web capture,
• upload,
• e-mail and
• Peppol

Your invoices are automatically checked for formal correctness and completeness. They are then made available to the public invoice recipient using the routing ID (authority-specific addressing). You receive the routing ID from your client; it must be specified in the electronic invoice.
You can view the status of your electronic invoice at any time via your access account. In order for you to be able to submit your invoices electronically, they must meet certain requirements:

• be machine-readable and
• be in a structured electronic format (PDF or image file is not sufficient).

As of 11/27/2020, you are required to submit your invoices electronically if you provide federal government services.
The only exceptions to this are invoices that

• are issued after the fulfilment of a direct order up to an amount of EUR 1,000 net,
• invoices requiring secrecy, foreign service matters, other procurements abroad, or
• to be issued in proceedings of the Organleihe against restraints of competition.

Please note that as an invoicing party you must archive electronic invoices digitally and in an audit-proof manner for 10 years.
The obligation to accept and process e-invoices came into force for the federal states on 18.04.2020 (if necessary, beforehand in accordance with the respective e-invoice ordinance at state level).

Documents supporting the invoice

Forms: none

Online procedure possible: yes

Written form required: yes

Personal appearance required: no

• They provide services for
  • Facilities of the Federal Administration,
  • grant recipients or
  • cooperating federal states
• The electronic invoice must be in a structured electronic format (XML) that enables automatic and electronic processing (PDF document or image file are not sufficient).
• The invoice must meet the following requirements:
  • CEN Standard "Electronic Invoicing
  • Requirements of the federal e-invoicing ordinance and
  • Requirements of the respective terms of use of the invoice receipt platform used.
• Invoice senders must register for invoicing with the respective e-invoice receipt platform.
  
  

There are no legal remedies.

You can send your e-bills

• send them by e-mail,
• upload them directly,
• create them manually via web entry or
• send them via Peppol.

Peppol eDelivery Network is a European transport network for the exchange of documents with public administration (Pan-European Public Procurement OnLine). In any case, you must first register with the respective e-invoice receipt platform.

• For invoices to authorities of the direct federal administration, you can use the Central Invoice Receipt Platform (ZRE).
• For invoices to authorities of the indirect federal administration and cooperating federal states, the Online Invoice Receipting Platform (OZG-RE) is available.

When registering, you must enter the following data:

• First and last name
• Password
• E-mail address

If you wish to submit your invoices via the e-invoice receipt platforms:

• Access the link of the respective e-bill receipt platform.
• Register and log in.
• Use the user management to select a transmission channel for your e-bills that is best for you.
• Always enter the routing ID that you have received from your ordering party.
• Your invoice is automatically checked for formal correctness and completeness by the respective e-invoice receipt platform.
• Your checked electronic invoice is then made available to the invoice recipient using the routing ID assigned to him.
• Your invoice is considered delivered to the invoice recipient when it is received by the respective e-invoice receipt platform.

The following formats are acceptable for invoice supporting attachments:

• PDF documents
• Images (PNG, JPG, JPEG)
• Text files (CSV)
• Excel table documents (XLSX)
• OpenDocument table documents (ODS)
• XML when using the extension

If you create your invoice manually using the e-invoice receipt platforms, you may attach a maximum of 200 invoice supporting attachments (total maximum 15 MB).

The invoice deadlines agreed with your client apply.

The receipt, formal verification and provision of an electronic invoice for the addressed authority usually takes a few seconds.
The processing and technical verification depend on the invoice recipient.

- basically free of charge
- but: If you commission a service provider with the transmission of invoices, costs may be incurred for this service provider under certain circumstances.

One standard for electronic invoicing is the XInvoice standard. The standard was published by the Coordination Office for IT Standards (KoSIT). Furthermore, KoSIT coordinates the further development of XRechnung with the involvement of experts from the federal, state and local governments. XRechnung is a concretisation ("Core Invoice Usage Specification", in short: "CIUS") of the European standard for electronic invoicing and does not compete with the European standard.