ebInterface 6.1 — the Austrian national XML standard

ebInterface is the e-invoice XML format maintained by AUSTRIAPRO (the public-private arena hosted by WKO) since 2003. With version 6.1 published in 2024, it is strictly aligned with EN 16931 (Directive 2014/55/EU) and remains the default format of the USP portal. Beyond B2G, it is widely used in domestic B2B by Austrian ERP vendors (BMD, RZL, ELO, DPW).

History — 6 versions since 2003

XSD structure — main blocks

• Invoice (root element). Carries attributes DocumentType (Invoice / CreditMemo / FinalSettlement), InvoiceCurrency, Language, GeneratingSystem.
• InvoiceNumber + InvoiceDate. Unique number and issuance date. Mandatory ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD).
• Biller / InvoiceRecipient. Issuer and recipient, with VATIdentificationNumber (UID-Nummer), Address, Contact.
• BillerSettlementID (B2G recipient side). 4-character Buchungskreis for HV-SAP routing.
• OrderReference. Purchase order number (Bestellnummer) — mandatory for federal B2G.
• Details / ItemList / ListLineItem. Invoice lines. Each line carries PositionNumber, Description, Quantity, UnitPrice, TaxItem, LineItemAmount.
• Tax. Totals per VAT rate (aggregated TaxItem).
• TotalGrossAmount / PayableAmount. Gross amount and net payable amount (after prepayments / deductions).
• PaymentMethod. Payment details (UniversalBankTransaction, DirectDebit, Cash, NoPayment).
• PaymentConditions. Due date, discount, late interest.
• Attachments. Base64-encoded attachments (human-readable PDF, delivery note, etc.).

Full example of an ebInterface 6.1 invoice

Consulting invoice for 12 hours × €180/h to BMF (Buchungskreis BMF1), PO 4500099812:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Invoice xmlns="http://www.ebinterface.at/schema/6p1/"
         GeneratingSystem="MyERP 2026.4"
         DocumentType="Invoice"
         InvoiceCurrency="EUR"
         Language="de"
         ManualProcessing="false"
         DocumentTitle="Rechnung 2026-AT-000412">
  <InvoiceNumber>2026-AT-000412</InvoiceNumber>
  <InvoiceDate>2026-05-19</InvoiceDate>
  <Delivery>
    <Date>2026-05-15</Date>
  </Delivery>
  <Biller>
    <VATIdentificationNumber>ATU12345678</VATIdentificationNumber>
    <Address>
      <Name>Beispiel Lieferant GmbH</Name>
      <Street>Hauptstraße 12</Street>
      <Town>Wien</Town>
      <ZIP>1010</ZIP>
      <Country CountryCode="AT">Österreich</Country>
    </Address>
  </Biller>
  <InvoiceRecipient>
    <VATIdentificationNumber>ATU98765432</VATIdentificationNumber>
    <BillerSettlementID>BMF1</BillerSettlementID>
    <OrderReference>
      <OrderID>4500099812</OrderID>
    </OrderReference>
    <Address>
      <Name>Bundesministerium für Finanzen</Name>
      <Street>Johannesgasse 5</Street>
      <Town>Wien</Town>
      <ZIP>1010</ZIP>
      <Country CountryCode="AT">Österreich</Country>
    </Address>
  </InvoiceRecipient>
  <Details>
    <ItemList>
      <ListLineItem>
        <PositionNumber>1</PositionNumber>
        <Description>Consulting services May 2026</Description>
        <Quantity Unit="HUR">12.00</Quantity>
        <UnitPrice>180.00</UnitPrice>
        <TaxItem>
          <TaxableAmount>2160.00</TaxableAmount>
          <TaxPercent TaxCategoryCode="S">20.00</TaxPercent>
          <TaxAmount>432.00</TaxAmount>
        </TaxItem>
        <LineItemAmount>2160.00</LineItemAmount>
      </ListLineItem>
    </ItemList>
  </Details>
  <Tax>
    <TaxItem>
      <TaxableAmount>2160.00</TaxableAmount>
      <TaxPercent TaxCategoryCode="S">20.00</TaxPercent>
      <TaxAmount>432.00</TaxAmount>
    </TaxItem>
  </Tax>
  <TotalGrossAmount>2592.00</TotalGrossAmount>
  <PayableAmount>2592.00</PayableAmount>
  <PaymentMethod>
    <UniversalBankTransaction>
      <BeneficiaryAccount>
        <BIC>BKAUATWWXXX</BIC>
        <IBAN>AT611904300234573201</IBAN>
        <BankAccountOwner>Beispiel Lieferant GmbH</BankAccountOwner>
      </BeneficiaryAccount>
    </UniversalBankTransaction>
  </PaymentMethod>
  <PaymentConditions>
    <DueDate>2026-06-18</DueDate>
  </PaymentConditions>
</Invoice>

EN 16931 conformance and CIUS

Since version 6.0 (2020), ebInterface has been strictly EN 16931 conformant:

• BT/BG mapping: each EN 16931 Business Term (BT-1 InvoiceNumber, BT-2 InvoiceIssueDate, etc.) has a documented XPath projection in ebInterface 6.1. The official mapping is published in the standard annex on austria.pro.
• CIUS ebInterface: Core Invoice Usage Specification restricting EN 16931 to Austrian usages (mandatory ATU UID-Nummer, BillerSettlementID for B2G, etc.).
• Schematron validation: Schematron rule set downloadable on GitHub austriapro/ebinterface-schematron to validate business conformance (beyond pure XSD conformance).
• ebInterface ↔ UBL converter: AUSTRIAPRO also publishes a bidirectional UBL 2.1 / EN 16931 mapping to facilitate PEPPOL exchanges.

Coexistence with PEPPOL BIS Billing 3.0

• USP accepts both formats. ebInterface is the default format and remains dominant (~75 % of B2G submissions). PEPPOL BIS Billing 3.0 is growing (~25 % and rising), notably for cross-border flows.
• Transparent conversion. Any PEPPOL flow arriving via the federal SMP is converted to ebInterface by USP before injection into HV-SAP. The Bund recipient always sees ebInterface in final reading.
• No abrupt migration. AUSTRIAPRO and BMF have stated that ebInterface will remain maintained and accepted at least until 2030 (date of EU ViDA Digital Reporting Requirements).
• 2026 recommendation. New ERPs should support both formats. For legacy ERPs, transition happens by batch (first PEPPOL clients, gradual rollout).

Tools — validators, libraries, samples

• Official XSD schema: austriapro.at/ebinterface/spezifikation/ and github.com/austriapro/ebinterface-schema.
• Online validator: tools.peppol-eorder.eu (European, supports ebInterface) or validator.erechnung.gv.at (BMF).
• Open-source libraries: ph-ebinterface (Java, by Philip Helger), ebinterface-py (Python), ebinterface-net (.NET).
• Samples: github.com/austriapro/ebinterface-schema/tree/master/samples — covers standard case, multi-VAT, multi-currency, XAdES signature, reverse charge, intra-EU.
• English documentation: sparse. The reference remains the German version on austria.pro, supplemented by the EN 16931 mapping (English).

Common pitfalls

• Wrong namespace. Using http://www.ebinterface.at/schema/6p0/ while the receiver expects 6.1 — immediate XSD rejection.
• Missing BillerSettlementID for B2G. Without Buchungskreis, USP rejects the invoice at business validation (before HV-SAP injection).
• Misaligned TaxCategoryCode. Coding S (Standard) for a 10 % operation — the AT-CIUS Schematron detects the mismatch and rejects.
• Misencoded PDF attachment. The base64 must have no carriage returns. Many ERPs produce "pre-formatted" base64 that passes XSD but fails on decoding in HV-SAP.
• OrderReference in the wrong place. For B2G, the OrderReference must be under InvoiceRecipient/OrderReference with OrderID = federal Bestellnummer. A free reference in Comment does not have the same scope.

Cross-links

• Austria hub — mandate overview
• IKTKonG — 2014 B2G mandate
• USP — single window
• FinanzOnline — returns
• Umsatzsteuer regimes
• PEPPOL — European standard
• AUSTRIAPRO — ebInterface
• GitHub — austriapro/ebinterface-schema
• e-Rechnung.gv.at — BMF portal