Checking a received Factur-X invoice

A Factur-X invoice has just arrived. Before it enters your books, four checks are worth the effort.

1. Is the file really a Factur-X? A PDF alone is not enough: it needs the data attachment (factur-x.xml, or zugferd-invoice.xml for files of German origin). Without it you have an ordinary PDF, not a structured electronic invoice.

2. Which profile? The file declares its data level. An EN 16931 profile carries the full set of information from the European standard; a MINIMUM or BASIC profile carries far less and is not a complete invoice. Knowing what you received avoids unpleasant surprises when you come to use it.

3. Are the mandatory fields there, and correct? Number, dates, identities, amounts, VAT: the standard defines precise rules (EN 16931's "BR" business rules), checkable automatically. An invoice can look complete on screen and break a rule in its data.

4. Do the PDF and the XML say the same thing? This is the least intuitive check: the visible layer and the data layer can diverge, a displayed total differing from the structured one, a number that does not match. And it is the data layer your accounting will use. A gap always deserves a question to the issuer before the invoice is booked.

Doing those four checks by hand takes tools and time. Pruvue does them in one gesture: open the file in your browser and read the verdict (valid, invalid or partial) with every failing rule identified and the PDF/XML gaps flagged. The verdict is free, and the file never leaves your machine. As for "what about legal compliance?": Pruvue checks technical conformity to the standards it cites; for the rest, see your accountant, and the frequently asked questions say where the tool stops.