Cross Industry Invoice (CII)
UN/CEFACT XML Standard for E-Invoicing
Cross Industry Invoice (CII) is a UN/CEFACT standard XML format used in XRechnung and ZUGFeRD e-invoicing.
Try CII ConversionWhat is Cross Industry Invoice (CII)?
Cross Industry Invoice (CII) is an XML-based e-invoice format defined by UN/CEFACT (United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business). It's one of two valid syntaxes for the European e-invoicing standard EN 16931, alongside UBL. CII is particularly popular in German-speaking countries and is the native format for ZUGFeRD hybrid invoices.
ZUGFeRD Invoices
CII is the embedded XML format in ZUGFeRD PDF/A-3 hybrid invoices
XRechnung (CII Syntax)
German e-invoicing standard supports CII as an alternative to UBL
Factur-X (France)
French equivalent of ZUGFeRD also uses CII for embedded data
B2B E-Invoicing
Many ERP systems prefer CII for its detailed trade structure
CII vs UBL: Which to Choose?
Both formats are EN 16931 compliant and contain the same business data. The choice depends on your system requirements.
FAQ
What does CII stand for?
CII stands for Cross Industry Invoice. It's an XML format developed by UN/CEFACT for electronic business documents that can be used across different industries and countries.
Is Cross Industry Invoice the same as XRechnung?
No, but they're related. XRechnung is the German e-invoicing standard that follows EN 16931 rules. XRechnung can be expressed in either CII or UBL syntax. So CII is one of the formats you can use to create an XRechnung-compliant invoice.
When should I use CII instead of UBL?
Use CII when: creating ZUGFeRD hybrid invoices, your ERP system requires CII format, trading with partners who prefer CII, or when you need the detailed trade-oriented structure of UN/CEFACT. Use UBL for PEPPOL network transmission.
Is CII compliant with EN 16931?
Yes, CII D16B is one of the two official syntaxes for EN 16931, the European e-invoicing standard. Both CII and UBL are equally valid and compliant.
What is CII D16B?
CII D16B is the Cross Industry Invoice schema version used by EN 16931 and XRechnung validation. Current ZUGFeRD 2.5.2 / Factur-X 1.09.2 is based on CII D22B while remaining backwards compatible with D16B; runtime generator and validator artifact status is reported separately from that public lifecycle.
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