Can I send a CII invoice over PEPPOL?

No. PEPPOL is UBL-only; convert CII to UBL first. Facturus transcodes CII to UBL without losing the EN 16931 data.

What is the difference between CII and UBL?

Both are EN 16931 XML syntaxes. CII is the UN/CEFACT schema (Factur-X, XRechnung-CII); UBL is the OASIS schema (PEPPOL, XRechnung-UBL, OIOUBL). They carry the same semantic invoice.

Is the XML inside a Factur-X PDF CII?

Yes. Factur-X / ZUGFeRD embeds a CII D16B XML invoice inside a PDF/A-3 file.

Does CII conform to EN 16931?

Yes. CII D16B is one of the two syntaxes EN 16931 is expressed in; a CII invoice declaring the EN 16931 guideline conforms to the standard.

What is UN/CEFACT CII D16B?

UN/CEFACT Cross Industry Invoice (CII) D16B is the XML syntax used by Factur-X/ZUGFeRD and XRechnung-CII. It is one of the two EN 16931 syntaxes. The XML embedded inside a Factur-X PDF is CII.

Open a UN/CEFACT CII D16B file in the viewer → See every business term, a visual preview and the raw XML.

Country: International
Syntax: XML (UN/CEFACT CII D16B)
Version: D16B

Key facts

Namespace urn:un:unece:uncefact:data:standard:CrossIndustryInvoice:100.
Carries Factur-X, XRechnung-CII and plain CII - distinguished by guideline ID.
PEPPOL does NOT accept CII - convert to UBL for PEPPOL.

CII is the UN/CEFACT syntax

UN/CEFACT Cross Industry Invoice (CII) D16B is one of the two XML syntaxes permitted by EN 16931, the other being OASIS UBL. CII comes from the UN/CEFACT standards body and is the syntax behind Factur-X / ZUGFeRD and the CII variant of XRechnung. The XML embedded inside a Factur-X PDF is CII.

Like UBL, CII is a syntax rather than a profile: the same CII document becomes a Factur-X, XRechnung-CII or plain CII invoice depending on the guideline identifier it declares.

CII rsm / ram structure

CII uses different namespace prefixes from UBL. The document root is rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice, and business data is grouped under ram (Reusable Aggregate business information). Where UBL writes cac:AccountingSupplierParty, CII writes a ram:SellerTradeParty inside the trade-agreement group. The information is the same EN 16931 content; only the element names and nesting differ.

CII and PEPPOL

PEPPOL BIS Billing 3.0 accepts UBL only. A CII invoice - including the XML inside a Factur-X PDF - cannot be sent over the PEPPOL network as-is. Because CII and UBL both express the EN 16931 model, Facturus transcodes CII to UBL (mapping each ram/rsm element to its cbc/cac counterpart) so the invoice can travel over PEPPOL without losing meaning.

CII vs UBL at a glance
	CII D16B	UBL 2.1
Body	UN/CEFACT	OASIS
Root element	rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice	ubl:Invoice
Prefixes	rsm / ram	cbc / cac
Used by	Factur-X, XRechnung-CII	PEPPOL, XRechnung-UBL, OIOUBL

Frequently asked questions

Can I send a CII invoice over PEPPOL?: No. PEPPOL is UBL-only; convert CII to UBL first. Facturus transcodes CII to UBL without losing the EN 16931 data.
What is the difference between CII and UBL?: Both are EN 16931 XML syntaxes. CII is the UN/CEFACT schema (Factur-X, XRechnung-CII); UBL is the OASIS schema (PEPPOL, XRechnung-UBL, OIOUBL). They carry the same semantic invoice.
Is the XML inside a Factur-X PDF CII?: Yes. Factur-X / ZUGFeRD embeds a CII D16B XML invoice inside a PDF/A-3 file.
Does CII conform to EN 16931?: Yes. CII D16B is one of the two syntaxes EN 16931 is expressed in; a CII invoice declaring the EN 16931 guideline conforms to the standard.

Convert UN/CEFACT CII D16B

Do more with Facturus

Convert a file XRechnung, Factur-X, PEPPOL, FatturaPA, UBL, CII - any direction, EN 16931. Validate against EN 16931 Upload an invoice and get the compliance report - no conversion. Identify a file Not sure what you have? Detect the format or check a PDF instantly.