Factur-X vs ZUGFeRD: the same format under two names
Factur-X (France) and ZUGFeRD (Germany) are the same hybrid PDF/A-3 standard, jointly maintained by FNFE-MPE and FeRD. What that means in practice.
| Relationship | Identical standard, two national names (ZUGFeRD 2.x = Factur-X 1.x) |
|---|---|
| Construction | Hybrid PDF/A-3 with embedded CII XML |
| Maintained by | FeRD (DE) and FNFE-MPE (FR) jointly |
| Current version | ZUGFeRD 2.3 / Factur-X 1.0.07 (May 2025) |
Factur-X and ZUGFeRD are technically the same standard — a hybrid format of a PDF/A-3 with embedded CII XML, published under two national names for the German and French markets.
Comparison
| Attribute | Factur-X (FR) | ZUGFeRD (DE) |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | PDF/A-3 + CII XML | PDF/A-3 + CII XML |
| Relationship | Identical joint standard | Identical joint standard |
| Maintained by | FNFE-MPE | FeRD |
| Current version | 1.0.07 | 2.3 |
| Mandate | FR reform (from 2026/2027) | DE mandate (from 2027/2028) |
The version numbers run separately but denote the same specification: ZUGFeRD 2.3 equals Factur-X 1.0.07 (May 2025).
Profiles
Both define the same conformance profiles (from MINIMUM to EXTENDED, plus the German XRECHNUNG profile). To satisfy EN 16931 you need at least the EN 16931 (Comfort) profile; the reduced MINIMUM and BASIC WL profiles do not carry every mandatory field of a full e-invoice.
How invowerk helps
Because both embed the same CII XML, invowerk validates them with the same code path against EN 16931 and explains every BR error code in plain language (see /codes) — handy for businesses invoicing into both Germany and France.