E-invoicing is issuing an invoice as structured data that the recipient's software can read and process automatically, rather than as a document a person has to read. EU law on public procurement defines an electronic invoice as one “issued, transmitted and received in a structured electronic format which allows for its automatic and electronic processing” (Directive 2014/55/EU, Article 2), and requires public bodies to receive and process e-invoices that follow the European standard on electronic invoicing (Article 7), which is EN 16931. By that definition a PDF sent by email is not an e-invoice, even though it is electronic. Example: a PDF shows “Total €1,210” as printed text; the same invoice as EN 16931 UBL XML carries the total, the VAT breakdown, the seller and the buyer as separate, labelled data fields. Common mistakes: treating “we email PDFs” as meeting an e-invoicing requirement, and assuming the file alone is enough where a country requires sending through a specific network or platform. Invoice Forever exports EN 16931 UBL XML; transmitting it is a separate step.
Try it: E-invoicing by country.