Germany Issues New 2025 E-Invoicing Guidance: Error Types, Validation, and Retention Rules Explained

• On October 15, 2025, Germany’s Ministry of Finance issued updated guidance on mandatory e-invoicing for domestic B2B transactions, effective since January 1, 2025.
• The guidance clarifies error categories (formatting, business rule, and content errors) and their impact on invoice compliance.
• Validation tools are required but not sufficient; recipients must also check invoice content for accuracy.
• All mandatory invoice details must be included directly in the e-invoice, and invoices must be retained for eight years.
• The rules apply to transactions after December 31, 2024, with transitional measures until the end of 2027, aiming for consistent implementation and improved data accuracy.

Source: vatabout.com

Note that this post was (partially) written with the help of AI. It is always useful to review the original source material, and where needed to obtain (local) advice from a specialist.

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