Create German e-invoices (ZUGFeRD)

Use this guide if your store is based in Germany and your business customers need e-invoices. By the end, your invoice PDFs carry a ZUGFeRD e-invoice (EN 16931) inside them, which accounting software can read. The PDF looks the same as before.

Before you begin

• The E-invoicing tab only appears for stores based in Germany, going by your Shopify store address.
• E-invoicing needs the Pro plan. On the Free plan the tab is visible but its controls are locked.
• You need your VAT ID (USt-IdNr) or your tax number (Steuernummer). E-invoices can’t be created without one of them.
• Only invoices and credit notes for orders in EUR get an e-invoice. Quotes for draft orders and packing slips never do.
• E-invoices are delivered the way your invoices already are: download, email, bulk actions, payment reminders and the customer account download all carry them. Nothing else needs setting up, and no network such as Peppol is involved.

Choose your setup

Use this	When
All invoices automatically	Most of your customers are businesses, or you’d rather every eligible invoice be an e-invoice.
Only orders I choose	Only some orders need one, for example a few B2B customers. You generate the e-invoice on each order’s page.

What customers will see

The same invoice PDF they get today, by email or download. The e-invoice data travels inside the PDF file, so a person sees a normal invoice and an accounting system reads the data. When an order can’t be turned into a valid e-invoice, the customer gets the standard PDF instead.

Set it up

1. Open your Shopify admin and click Invoice Falcon in the left menu.
2. Click Settings in the app’s menu.
3. Click the E-invoicing tab.
4. In the E-invoice profile card, tick Generate e-invoices (ZUGFeRD PDF/A-3).
5. Choose All invoices automatically or Only orders I choose.
6. Fill in your details:
   1. Legal business name: your registered company name. Leave it blank to use the business name from Document defaults.
   2. VAT ID (USt-IdNr) or Tax number (Steuernummer): at least one is required. A VAT ID is “DE” followed by 9 digits, for example DE123456789.
   3. Postcode and City: leave them blank to use your Shopify store address.
   4. IBAN and BIC: optional. The IBAN is added as payment details on unpaid invoices.
   5. I am a small business (Kleinunternehmer, §19 UStG): tick it if it applies. Your invoices are marked as VAT-exempt with the required note.
7. Click Save in the bar at the top of the page.

The banner at the top of the tab changes to E-invoicing is active. With Only orders I choose, the banner also says “manual per order”.

With All invoices automatically, invoices that already exist get the e-invoice the next time they’re printed, downloaded or emailed.

Create an e-invoice for one order

With Only orders I choose:

1. Click Orders in the app’s menu and open the order.
2. Click Other at the top of the page.
3. Click Generate e-invoice. The PDF is rebuilt, and a message says E-invoice generated.

To go back to a standard PDF, click Other, then Remove e-invoice. If the e-invoice couldn’t be created and you’ve fixed the cause, click Other, then Retry e-invoice.

These options don’t appear on draft orders, because quotes never get an e-invoice.

Check your setup

1. Open a recent order in EUR on the Orders page.
2. With Only orders I choose, click Other, then Generate e-invoice.
3. Look at the badge next to the invoice title:
   • E-invoice: the e-invoice is inside the PDF.
   • Requested: you asked for one, but the PDF hasn’t been rebuilt with it yet.
   • Standard PDF: the order couldn’t be turned into an e-invoice, so a normal PDF was made. Hover over the badge to see why.

The Orders tab also gets an E-invoice column with the same badges while e-invoicing is active.

Troubleshooting

I don't see the E-invoicing tab

The tab only shows for stores based in Germany. Check the country of your store address in Shopify’s settings.

The controls are greyed out

E-invoicing needs the Pro plan. Click Upgrade to Pro in the banner on the tab. See Invoice Falcon pricing and plans.

The banner still says E-invoicing is not active yet

Check that Generate e-invoices (ZUGFeRD PDF/A-3) is ticked, that you entered a VAT ID (USt-IdNr) or Tax number (Steuernummer), and that you clicked Save. A VAT ID must be “DE” plus 9 digits.

An order shows Standard PDF

Hover over the badge to see the reason, fix it, then use Retry e-invoice (with Only orders I choose) or click Other > Regenerate. Common reasons:

1. “Unsupported currency”: the order isn’t in EUR. If Enable multicurrency is on in Settings > Document defaults, orders paid in another currency use that currency and can’t be e-invoices.
2. “Order has no buyer address” or “buyer address has no country”: add the customer’s address in Shopify.
3. “Line has multiple distinct tax rates”: one product carries more than one tax rate, which an e-invoice can’t show.
4. “Computed total differs from order total”: usually an order-level discount the e-invoice can’t represent yet.
5. “Order has no billable line items”: no items are left to bill on the order.

The customer still gets a correct standard PDF in each case.

I don't see Generate e-invoice on an order

It only shows with Only orders I choose, on orders (not draft orders), once the order has an invoice. With All invoices automatically, there’s nothing to click: every eligible invoice gets one.

An invoice printed from Shopify's Print menu has no e-invoice

Printing from the Shopify admin’s Print menu makes a paper printout in your browser, not a PDF file, so it can’t carry an e-invoice. Download or email the invoice from Invoice Falcon instead. See Print invoices from your Shopify admin.

FAQ

Do my invoices look different?

No. The PDF looks exactly as before. The e-invoice data is attached inside the same file.

Do credit notes get an e-invoice too?

Yes, for orders in EUR. A credit note for an order you generated an e-invoice for also gets one.

What happens if I move to the Free plan?

New PDFs are standard PDFs again. Your settings are kept, and e-invoices start again if you upgrade.

A customer needs their GLN on the e-invoice. Where do I add it?

In Shopify, add it to the Company field of the order’s billing address as GLN: followed by the 13 digits, for example Example GmbH, GLN: 4313823000000. For a separate delivery location, add its GLN to the shipping address’s Company field the same way. Invoice Falcon sends the number as the customer’s identifier and keeps it out of the company name. A number with a wrong check digit is left out. Regenerate the invoice afterwards.

How do I add a delivery note number (Lieferscheinnummer)?

Shopify has no field for it, so you type it on the invoice. Open the order, click Edit invoice, open the Form tab, and enter it in Delivery note number under Invoice details, then click Save. The e-invoice always includes it. To print it on the PDF too, check Delivery note number in the template. See Edit an invoice and Show order numbers, dates and tags.

Do I need to register with Peppol or another platform?

No. Germany doesn’t require a delivery network, so an e-invoice sent by email or download is enough.

Related guides

• Add your business details, used as your seller name and address.
• Create credit notes, which also carry e-invoices.
• Keep issued invoices unchanged, for other invoicing rules.
• Invoice Falcon pricing and plans, for what’s on Pro.