What is UBL? Format and uses explained

UBL, the Universal Business Language, is an XML standard from OASIS for business documents such as invoices, credit notes and orders. UBL 2.1 has a syntax binding for the European e-invoice standard EN 16931. Peppol BIS Billing, XRechnung in UBL, the Dutch NLCIUS and the Belgian UBL.BE use it.

What is in a UBL invoice?

An Invoice or CreditNote XML document with seller, buyer, lines, VAT breakdown, totals and payment terms. UBL does not prescribe a visual invoice layout; a viewer can render the fields as a readable page.

Property	Value
Maintained by	OASIS (UBL 2.1)
Version used for e-invoices	2.1
European invoice-model binding	EN 16931 (European Commission)
File type	`.xml`

Which formats are built on UBL?

Format	Where	Glossary
Peppol BIS Billing 3.0	across Europe and beyond, through Peppol	Peppol BIS
XRechnung (UBL syntax)	Germany	XRechnung
NLCIUS	Netherlands	NLCIUS
UBL.BE	Belgium	UBL.BE

The alternative syntax is CII.

What can Klarbon do with UBL?

Task	Tool
Read it, print it, save it as PDF	Open a UBL invoice, free
Check the selected supported rule set, in beta	EN 16931 validator
Convert a structured e-invoice to UBL	Convert an e-invoice
Create one from a form	Create a UBL invoice

Reading plain PDF invoices is not available yet.

Invoice and bank format glossary

Frequently asked questions

Is UBL the same as Peppol?

No. UBL is the XML syntax. Peppol BIS Billing is a set of rules for invoices written in UBL, and Peppol is also the network that carries them.

Which UBL version do e-invoices use?

UBL 2.1 is the version used by Peppol BIS and XRechnung UBL. EN 16931 publishes a syntax binding for UBL 2.1; Klarbon also reads CII D16B.

How do I open a UBL file?

A UBL file is XML with no layout. Open it in an e-invoice viewer to see it as a readable invoice and save it as PDF.

What is UBL?