How to open an XML e-invoice
An e-invoice is data, not a picture. Opened in a browser or a text editor it looks like code. This is how to read it properly.
Find the file
An e-invoice arrives as an .xml file or as a PDF that contains one. If you received both a PDF and an XML with the same number, the XML holds the invoice data.
Open it in the viewer
Drop the file on the Zaamm viewer. It is read on your device. You see the invoice with parties, lines, VAT and totals.
Compare it with your order
Check the buyer details, the order reference, the quantities and the amount due. With a hybrid PDF, compare the PDF picture with the XML data. They must match.
Keep the original
Store the XML or the hybrid PDF unchanged. Countries with mandatory e-invoicing generally require you to keep the structured original, not only a printout.
Common problems
The file opens as a wall of text
That is normal. The browser shows raw XML. Use a viewer instead.
No XML found in the PDF
The PDF is not a hybrid invoice. Under the new rules in countries such as Germany, France or Slovakia an ordinary PDF is not an e-invoice.
The totals check fails
Lines, VAT and totals in the file do not add up. Ask the sender for a corrected invoice rather than fixing it yourself.
Unknown format
National formats such as FatturaPA in Italy, KSeF in Poland or Facturae in Spain have their own structure. Zaamm lists all their fields in readable form.