EN 16931 is the European standard for electronic invoices. It defines invoice fields and business rules and has bindings for UBL 2.1, CII D16B and UN/EDIFACT INVOIC D16B. In-scope public procurement bodies must receive and process conforming e-invoices in a listed syntax; national profile and delivery requirements may also apply. Specifications such as XRechnung, NLCIUS and Peppol BIS Billing build on it.
What does EN 16931 define?
| Part | What |
|---|---|
| Semantic data model | each business term, numbered BT-1, BT-2 and so on, and groups of terms, BG |
| Business rules | rules such as BR-CO-10: the sum of invoice line net amounts (BT-106) equals the sum of the individual line net amounts (BT-131) |
| Syntax bindings | how terms are written in UBL 2.1, CII D16B or UN/EDIFACT INVOIC D16B |
| Published edition | EN 16931-1:2026; the Commission says the withdrawn 2017 edition remains compliant during migration |
| Klarbon's supported core | EN 16931-1:2017+A1:2019 in UBL 2.1 and CII D16B |
The standard is published by CEN; the European Commission explains how to obtain it (European Commission). The validation artefacts used to check the rules are public (Connecting Europe).
Why does it matter?
Directive 2014/55/EU requires public bodies to receive and process compliant e-invoices in a listed syntax for public contracts within its scope, from 2019 for central and 2020 for other authorities (Directive 2014/55/EU). Countries that require e-invoices between businesses, such as Germany, France and Belgium, use it as their baseline.
Which formats build on it?
| Format | Type |
|---|---|
| XRechnung | German CIUS, UBL or CII |
| Peppol BIS Billing | Peppol CIUS, UBL |
| NLCIUS | Dutch CIUS, UBL |
| ZUGFeRD and Factur-X EN 16931 profile | hybrid PDF with CII |
What can Klarbon do with EN 16931?
Validate an e-invoice against EN 16931: Klarbon checks the selected rules and explains its findings in plain language. You can also open supported EN 16931 invoices in UBL 2.1 or CII D16B. It does not open EDIFACT INVOIC.
Related
Frequently asked questions
Is EN 16931 a file format?
Not by itself. It is a data model with invoice fields and business rules, with syntax bindings for UBL 2.1, CII D16B and UN/EDIFACT INVOIC D16B.
Do I need EN 16931 for invoices to public bodies in the EU?
For public procurement within the directive's scope, public bodies must receive and process conforming e-invoices in a syntax on the published list. A national profile and delivery channel may also apply; whether you must send one depends on local rules.
What is a CIUS?
A Core Invoice Usage Specification, a national or sector set of extra rules on top of EN 16931. XRechnung, NLCIUS and Peppol BIS are examples.
Sources
- European Commission, obtaining a copy of the European standard on eInvoicing ec.europa.eu
- Directive 2014/55/EU on electronic invoicing in public procurement eur-lex.europa.eu
- Connecting Europe, EN 16931 validation artefacts github.com
- KoSIT, XRechnung, EN 16931 syntax bindings and CIUS definitions xeinkauf.de