What is Facturae?
Facturae is Spain’s official format for a structured electronic invoice. Instead of a PDF that a person reads, it is a machine-readable XML file that follows a national schema published by the Spanish tax and public-administration authorities, so a receiving system can process every field — invoice number, tax lines, totals, payment terms — without anyone retyping it. The current version is Facturae 3.2.2.
It became mandatory for invoicing Spanish public administrations, which receive Facturae files through the central FACe platform (the Punto General de Entrada de Facturas Electrónicas). The same format now sits at the centre of Spain’s wider business-to-business e-invoicing rollout under the Ley Crea y Crece, which will progressively require structured e-invoices between companies.
Facturae vs a normal invoice — and vs EN 16931 formats
A normal invoice is usually a PDF or paper document meant for human eyes. Facturae is structured data meant for a computer, so the recipient’s system can validate and book it automatically. That is the same idea behind Europe’s EN 16931 e-invoice model — but Facturae is not the same file as those formats.
Facturae is Spain’s own national XML schema. It is not XRechnung or ZUGFeRD (the German EN 16931 formats), and it is not the same as an EN 16931 CII or UBL file, even though all of them describe an invoice. A distinctive feature is that a Facturae sent to the public sector is digitally signed with XAdES — an XML electronic signature embedded in the file — which guarantees its authenticity and integrity.
IVA, IRPF and recargo de equivalencia
A Facturae has to carry Spain’s specific tax fields, and there are three you are likely to meet:
- IVA (Impuesto sobre el Valor Añadido) — Spanish VAT, the output tax you add to most sales. Facturae records the taxable base, the rate and the resulting IVA amount per line or per rate.
- IRPF (retención) — income-tax withholding that autónomos and professionals often apply. The customer keeps back a percentage of the fee and pays it to the tax authority on your behalf, so it appears as a retención that reduces the amount actually paid to you.
- Recargo de equivalencia — an equalisation surcharge that certain retailers must be charged on top of IVA. When a supplier invoices a retailer under this special scheme, the surcharge is added as an extra tax line.
Who needs a Facturae, and when?
Two groups are affected, at two different points in time:
- Public-sector suppliers now — if you invoice a Spanish public administration, a signed Facturae submitted through FACe is already required.
- Businesses and self-employed under the B2B mandate — the Ley Crea y Crece and the Royal Decree implementing it (building on Ley 18/2022) phase in structured e-invoicing between companies. Larger companies (annual turnover above €8 million) are expected first, roughly from 2027, with all other businesses and self-employed following about a year later, around 2028.
How to create a Facturae with this tool
You do not need Spanish accounting software or a paid portal. With this generator you fill in a normal invoice form — in English — and download the structured XML:
- Enter your details and your customer’s (name, address and tax identifier such as NIF/CIF).
- Add your line items with quantities, net prices and the correct IVA rate.
- Apply IRPF withholding, or recargo de equivalencia, where they apply to your invoice.
- Set the invoice number, invoice date and any payment terms.
- Download a valid Facturae 3.2.2 XML file, ready to send or to sign.
Everything stays in your browser
Most Facturae websites expect you to open an account, or they hand your invoice off to their servers for processing. Here it works differently. The Facturae 3.2.2 XML is composed start to finish inside your browser with JavaScript, so none of your invoice data is ever sent out, retained or written to a log.
That counts because a Facturae holds real commercial and personal information — the client’s name, the fees you billed, your NIF/CIF and bank details. Doing the whole thing on the client side keeps those values on your own computer, and the page never turns into a conduit forwarding your XML to FACe or the Agencia Tributaria; you save it and submit it yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Is this Facturae generator really free?
Yes. Making and downloading a Facturae 3.2.2 file carries no charge, no account and no watermark. The site is funded by ads, yet the generator itself sets no paywall and no limit on how many invoices you produce.
Which Facturae version does it produce?
The tool generates Facturae 3.2.2, the current version of Spain’s official e-invoice schema. Because the correctness of a specific invoice also depends on the data you enter — tax identifiers, IVA rates, any IRPF withholding — check the file against the recipient’s requirements before sending it for the first time.
What is the difference between Facturae and XRechnung?
Both are structured XML e-invoices, but Facturae is Spain’s own national schema, while XRechnung is Germany’s EN 16931 format. They are not interchangeable: a Spanish public body or customer expects a Facturae, not an XRechnung. Send whichever format the recipient specifically names.
Does it handle IRPF withholding?
Yes. Spanish invoices from autónomos and professionals often apply an IRPF retención, which reduces the amount the customer actually pays you. The generator lets you add IRPF withholding — as well as IVA and, where relevant, recargo de equivalencia.
Do I need a digital signature?
A Facturae sent to the public sector through FACe must carry a XAdES electronic signature. This tool produces the valid 3.2.2 XML; signing it with your certificate is a separate step you complete before submission. For a private business customer, confirm with them whether a signature is required.
Is my invoice data uploaded anywhere?
No. Your browser builds the Facturae XML locally, so the invoice fields stay on your device the whole time. The tool transmits nothing to FACe or the Agencia Tributaria for you — you download the file and lodge it yourself.