Validation is a core element of electronic invoice exchange. It covers the checking of syntax, data content, consistency, profile specifications, and business rules, laying the foundation for e-invoices to be processed, classified, and used in automated workflows. Depending on the context, several layers interact – from technical readability through EN 16931 and national or industry-specific profiles to transport validation, for example in networks such as Peppol.

Tax authorities also attach considerable importance to validation. Requirements regarding format and business rules can be checked using suitable validation applications. Provided that standard commercial due diligence is observed, a business may rely on the technical result to that extent. Retaining the validation report offers a practical means of documentation. This makes validation an essential part of proper e-invoicing processes – both outbound and inbound. It does not replace the professional review for completeness and accuracy, but supports it with transparent, verifiable results.

For businesses, software providers, public authorities, intermediaries, and consultants, this creates a shared responsibility: validation must not be seen as an isolated technical checkpoint. It has to be embedded into creation, receipt, archiving, error handling, monitoring, and process control. This is how media discontinuities, rework, unclear rejections, and legal risks can be reduced.

The “Validation” Competence Center analyzes rule sets, checking mechanisms, and real-world validation results. The goal is a shared understanding of reliable quality requirements that makes sources of error visible and enables practical recommendations for market participants. Participation is aimed at organizations and professionals who create, receive, check, transmit, or archive e-invoices, or map them in software solutions. Contributors can share their experience, help interpret open questions, and work toward consistent quality standards for European e-invoice exchange. The focus is not on advocating for individual providers, but on collaborative professional work on transparent and reliable validation processes.

Key Focus Areas

Systematizing validation requirements and rule sets

Assessing validation mechanisms along digital process chains

Classifying validation layers: syntax, semantics, business logic, profile and transport requirements

Evaluating real-world validation results to identify typical sources of error

Deriving reliable strategies for error handling and process reliability

Professional Exchange on open questions of interpretation and the further development of quality requirements

Contributing to a shared understanding of suitable validation and documentation processes