CII is the UN/CEFACT XML syntax for e-invoices, used as the basis for Germany's XRechnung and France's Factur-X hybrid PDF+XML format.
CII stands for Cross Industry Invoice, the invoice document syntax defined by UN/CEFACT (United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business) under its D16B release. Like UBL, CII is an XML standard, but it uses a different element vocabulary and namespace. The EU's EN 16931 e-invoice standard has two official syntax bindings: UBL 2.1 and CII — both are fully compliant with the norm, so trading partners and platforms can choose either.
CII is most prominent in two national e-invoicing contexts. In Germany, XRechnung is a CIUS (Core Invoice Usage Specification) of EN 16931 serialised in CII — it is the predominant format for German public-sector invoicing and forms one of the accepted structured formats for the upcoming B2B mandate. In France, Factur-X (also branded as ZUGFeRD in Germany) is a hybrid PDF+XML format that embeds a CII XML file inside a PDF/A-3 attachment, making it readable by humans (the PDF) and processable by machines (the embedded CII XML).
A CII invoice uses elements like ExchangedDocumentContext, SupplyChainTradeTransaction, IncludedSupplyChainTradeLineItem, and SpecifiedTradeSettlement. The structure differs from UBL but carries the same information. Validation tools specific to CII are available from the national standards bodies (e.g. the KoSIT validator for XRechnung in Germany).
Invotify Pro exports CII XML files aligned with EN 16931. The export covers XRechnung-compatible output for German compliance and provides the XML component needed for Factur-X/ZUGFeRD (Invotify generates the CII XML; embedding it into a PDF/A-3 container is handled by your workflow or a dedicated tool). E-invoicing is a Pro feature.
CII (Cross Industry Invoice) is the UN/CEFACT XML syntax for electronic invoices. It is one of the two syntaxes recognised by the European standard EN 16931, and it serves as the basis for Germany's XRechnung and France's Factur-X hybrid format.
CII and UBL are two different XML syntaxes that can both carry the same EN 16931 invoice content. CII comes from UN/CEFACT and is common in German- and French-speaking markets, while UBL comes from OASIS and underpins Peppol. The choice usually depends on what the recipient or national mandate requires.
CII is widely used in Germany, where XRechnung is serialised in CII, and in France, where Factur-X embeds a CII file inside a PDF. Many central European procurement platforms accept or prefer the CII syntax for incoming e-invoices.
Yes. Invotify Pro exports CII XML, which covers both XRechnung (for German public-sector invoicing) and the XML payload used inside Factur-X. You can generate it from the same invoice you would send as UBL or Peppol.
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