What is Factur-X?
Factur-X is the Franco-German standard for hybrid electronic invoices. Each file is a normal-looking PDF — that a human can read — with a structured XML invoice embedded inside it, that software can read automatically. One file satisfies both the person and the machine.
Why hybrid?
- Your customer opens a familiar PDF.
- Your accounting software (and theirs) reads the embedded XML with no re-keying.
- The tax authority receives structured data it can process automatically.
The technical shape
- The container is a PDF/A-3, an archival PDF format that allows file attachments.
- The attachment is a CII XML (Cross Industry Invoice) following the European EN 16931 semantic standard.
- Factur-X defines several profiles (MINIMUM, BASIC, EN 16931/COMFORT, EXTENDED) by how much structured data they carry. FACTECOM targets EN 16931, the profile the French reform expects.
How FACTECOM generates it
For every Shopify order, FACTECOM builds the EN 16931 XML from the order data, renders the PDF/A-3, embeds the XML, and validates the result in CI against the official DGFiP Schematron. You get a ready-to-send, compliant document automatically — no second tool.
Learn more: The 2026 reform, explained