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XRechnung Validator: KoSIT and EN 16931 check before you submit

Upload your XRechnung XML. We check the schema and the EN 16931 and BR-DE rules, and show every error with its rule code and field, before a portal or public authority rejects the invoice.

  • KoSIT validator
  • EN 16931
  • XRechnung 3.0.2 with BR-DE
  • UBL and CII
  • Free, no account

The validator only checks the file. It sends nothing: not through Peppol, OZG-RE, or any other portal. You submit the invoice through your usual channel.

What the validator checks

  • Structure and mandatory data under EN 16931: XML schema, parties, amounts, VAT, and the specification identifier (BT-24).
  • German national rules (BR-DE) of XRechnung 3.0.2, for example payment instructions (BG-16) and seller contact (BG-6).
  • Buyer reference (BT-10): the validator checks that it is present (BR-DE-15), not that the Leitweg-ID is correct.
Leitweg-ID structure and check digit

How it works

  1. Upload the XML: UBL or CII, up to 2 MB.
  2. Read the result: errors and warnings with rule code and affected field (BT).
  3. Fix, check again, and only then submit.

Frequently asked questions

Is the XRechnung validator free?

Yes. The validator is free and works without an account. Without signing in, each IP address can run up to 30 checks per hour and no more than 6 per minute.

Does the validator check UBL or CII?

Both. The KoSIT validator checks XRechnung in UBL (Invoice and CreditNote) and in CII against the same EN 16931 and XRechnung rules. The file can be up to 2 MB. Check ZUGFeRD and Factur-X files with the ZUGFeRD validator.

What do common error codes mean?

  • BR-DE-15: the buyer reference (BT-10) is missing. For public buyers, it holds the Leitweg-ID.
  • BR-CO-10: the sum of line net amounts (BT-106) does not match the individual lines (BT-131).
  • PEPPOL-EN16931-R046: a gross price (BT-148) is given, but the item net price (BT-146) does not equal the gross price minus the item price discount (BT-147).
  • BR-S-02: a line has VAT category S (for example 19% or 7% in Germany), but the seller's VAT identifier or tax registration identifier (BT-31, BT-32) or the tax representative's VAT identifier (BT-63) is missing.

What happens to my file?

The validator processes only the file you upload, to create the validation report. The file is sent to our validation services and is not stored after the check; temporary working copies are deleted immediately. We do not pass the file on to recipients, portals, or AI services. Technical logs (for example status, response time, and error codes) are kept for a limited time, as described in the privacy policy.

Privacy policy
All KoSIT error codes with solutions

Your invoice exists only as a PDF?

Invoice Converter reads the PDF invoice, shows you the extracted data for review, and creates an XRechnung that is checked against the KoSIT rules before download.

Subscriptions from €10/month excl. taxes with annual billing, or €5 per conversion excl. taxes without a subscription.

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What is KoSIT Validation?

KoSIT (Koordinierungsstelle für IT-Standards) is the German coordination office for IT standards. The KoSIT validator is the official tool for checking XRechnung and other e-invoice formats against the EN 16931 European standard. It performs both XML schema validation and Schematron business rule checks.

Using the official KoSIT validator helps detect issues that German public authorities and other recipients requiring XRechnung compliance may reject. Our online validator uses the same official validation engine.

What is XRechnung?

XRechnung is the German implementation (CIUS) of the European standard EN 16931 for electronic invoices. For federal recipients, supplier obligations have applied since 27 November 2020; rules and channels of federal states and municipalities can differ. XRechnung uses XML in UBL or CII syntax and serves the implementation of EU Directive 2014/55/EU.

Learn more about the XRechnung Standard and XRechnung Field Reference.

EN 16931 European Standard

EN 16931 is the European standard for the semantic data model of electronic invoices. It defines the core elements required for cross-border e-invoicing within the EU. XRechnung implements EN 16931 with additional German-specific rules (CIUS). Validation against EN 16931 ensures your invoices meet the minimum requirements for European e-invoicing.

Learn more about EN 16931 →

How to read validation results

KoSIT validation outputs schema checks (XML structure) and Schematron rules (business rules). Understanding both helps you fix issues quickly and ensure the invoice is accepted by recipients.

  • Schema errors usually mean the XML is malformed or elements are in the wrong place.
  • Business rule (Schematron) errors point to missing mandatory fields or invalid values (codes, totals, dates).
  • Each finding contains a rule code (e.g., BR-DE-1) and the affected field (BT/BG reference when available).
  • After fixing, re-validate until the configured checks pass.

More XRechnung tools and guides