Information for suppliers and service providers on e-invoicing

As a sub-central public contracting authority, DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH (DFS) is bound by Germany’s E-Invoicing Ordinance (ERechV) and primarily processes structured electronic incoming invoices in the XRechnung format. DFS processes only ZUGFeRD invoices in version 2.2.0 or later use the XRECHNUNG profile.

Please note:

From 1 January 2027, the issue and transmission of e-invoices within the meaning of Section 14(1) of the German Value Added Tax Act (UStG) will, as a rule, be mandatory for transactions between domestic companies. The invoice must contain the required tax details in accordance with Section 14(4) of the German Value Added Tax Act (UStG) in its current version, as well as additional information (see below).

From 1 January 2027 at the latest, please submit your invoices exclusively in the currently valid XRechnung format or in ZUGFeRD version 2.2.0 or later using the XRCHNUNG profile. Please send your e-invoices to this e-mail address: RG-Eingang-X-RG@dfs.de.

We will be obliged to reject invoices that do not meet the legal and technical requirements and to withhold payment until a valid invoice has been submitted.

Please observe the following requirements when preparing and submitting e-invoices:

  • Send your invoices to DFS, invoice corrections, cancellation invoices or credit notes relating to invoices submitted to DFS in either the XRechnung format or ZUGFeRD version 2.2.0 or later using the XRECHNUNG profile exclusively to the following e-mail address only: RG-Eingang-X-RG@dfs.de.
  • The buyer reference of DFS is 993-80165-64.
  • The VAT registration number (for the reverse charge procedure) is DE114110232.
  • The e-mail must be unencrypted and may not be digitally signed.
  • The e-mail may contain only one e-invoice as an XML file compliant with EN 16931. The e-mail must not include any further attachments.
  • DFS only accepts XRechnung invoices in the currently valid version issued by the Coordination Office for IT Standards (KoSIT). DFS suppliers are required to obtain the relevant information themselves, for example here.
  • Attachments must be embedded in the e-invoice data record.
  • Embedded attachments are accepted in the following formats: PDF, CSV, XLSX (Excel), PNG, JPEG, TXT, DOCX (Word) and Open Text.
  • E-invoices with a purchase order reference must contain the purchase order number (45* or 47*, each 10 digits long) in field BT‑13 (Purchase order reference).
  • For invoices without a purchase order reference, the name of the purchaser, including their e‑mail address, must be specified in fields BT‑56 and BT‑58. An organisational unit or cost centre should also be added to this information, if known.
  • The e-mail containing the XML file and all embedded attachments must not exceed 50 MB.
  • On arrival, the e-mail undergoes a format check, which is performed by the incoming invoice system at DFS. Invoices submitted in a format other than XML (for example Word, PDF) will be rejected. In such cases, the respective invoice must be re-sent in the correct format.
  • E-invoices that are sent to DFS in any form or to any other e-mail address than the one stated above, will not progress to the subsequent invoice processing stage at DFS and therefore cannot be settled.


If you have any specific or technical queries, please contact us at the following e-mail address: XRechnung-Rueckfrage@dfs.de. 

Before sending an e-invoice, we recommend that you validate that it complies with the legal requirements. The following German link, for example, is useful for this purpose: E-Rechnungs-Validator.

Further information about the XRechnung can be found in German here: XRechnung - XStandards Einkauf.

An optimised invoice processing workflow reduces the processing time of your invoice and therefore facilitates on-time payment of your invoice amount in accordance with the contractual terms. The quality of the invoices submitted is a critical factor in achieving a high degree of automation, while at the same time securing a reduction in manual workload on both sides.