About OkInvoice: an independent guide to e-invoicing mandates

OkInvoice is a free, independent guide to the B2B e-invoicing mandates in Germany, France and Belgium. It explains who has to send and receive e-invoices, from when, in which format, and what happens if you do not. It is written in English, German and French, each version for its own readers rather than translated word for word.

Why OkInvoice exists

Three neighbouring countries introduced e-invoicing rules within about two years of each other, each in its own way. Belgium chose Peppol from 1 January 2026. France built a network of approved platforms, live since 1 September 2026. Germany requires receiving since 1 January 2025 and phases in issuing for 2027 and 2028, with no prescribed channel at all.

The official sources are good but scattered across three administrations and three languages. Much of what ranks in search comes from software vendors, who have a product to sell. A business invoicing across borders, a foreign freelancer or an accountant with clients in two countries needs one place that explains the rules plainly and links to the official text. That is what OkInvoice tries to be.

Who OkInvoice is for

• Small businesses and freelancers in Germany, France or Belgium who want to know what applies to them, without a sales pitch.
• Foreign suppliers and expats with customers in one of the three countries, who need the rules in English.
• Accountants and bookkeepers who want official sources at hand when clients ask.
• Anyone who received an XML invoice and just wants to read it.

What you will find here

• Country guides for Germany, France and Belgium, plus a deadline overview.
• Format guides to XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, Factur-X and Peppol.
• A free validator and viewer that checks e-invoices against the official rules in your browser. Your file is never uploaded.
• A requirements checker that tells you, in a few questions, whether you are affected and by when.
• Software comparisons that say what each tool documents, and say so when it does not.

Independence and how we make money

OkInvoice is not owned or funded by any software vendor, approved platform or Peppol access point. Nobody pays to appear in a comparison or to be ranked higher.

The site earns money from affiliate links. When you click a link to some of the software we review and then sign up, the vendor may pay us a commission. That costs you nothing extra. Not every vendor has an affiliate programme, many of the free plans we recommend earn nothing, and we list them all the same. Which links are affiliate links and how this works is set out on our affiliate disclosure page.

To keep that money from steering the content:

• We do not rank tools by commission.
• We only state what a vendor documents, with the date we checked, and write "not documented" or "unverified" otherwise.
• We recommend free tools and official viewers wherever they are enough.

Who is behind it

OkInvoice is run independently. The operator's name, address and legal details are on the imprint page. The research behind each page is described on our methodology page.

What OkInvoice is not

OkInvoice is not a law firm, tax adviser or software vendor, and nothing on this site is legal or tax advice. We explain the rules and point to the official sources. Where the law is unclear or your situation is unusual, we say so and suggest you ask a tax adviser.

Get in touch

Found an error, a rule that has changed or a tool we should cover? Write to us through the contact page. Corrections are handled as described in our methodology.