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Open and read a UBL invoice without accounting software
2 min read
A UBL invoice is an .xml file, the standard e-invoice format in the EU. Raw, it looks like a block of code. Drop the file into the UBL invoice viewer and you see a clean invoice with supplier, customer, lines and totals, which you can download as a PDF. Everything happens in your browser, without accounting software.
You receive an invoice, but instead of a PDF it is an .xml file. Double-clicking opens a tangle of tags, and you do not want to open your accounting package for it or you do not have one. Yet you need to read and keep the invoice. This happens more and more now that e-invoicing is arriving.
The UBL invoice viewer turns that xml file into a readable invoice. You drop it in and see at a glance what is on it, without installing anything.
What is a UBL or .xml invoice?
UBL stands for Universal Business Language, the standard format in which digital invoices are exchanged in the EU. It is deliberately machine-readable: your accounting software can pull the data out automatically. For a human it is less convenient, because a UBL invoice is an .xml file full of tags instead of a clean page. With the ViDA regulation, e-invoicing becomes mandatory for business invoices step by step from 2026, so you will run into them more often.
How to open it
- Open the UBL invoice viewer and drop your .xml or .ubl file into the box.
- You see the invoice in readable form straight away: supplier and customer with chamber-of-commerce, VAT and IBAN details, the invoice lines, and the totals including VAT.
- Credit notes are recognised too.
Downloading as PDF
Want to keep or forward the invoice? Download the same data as a PDF with one click. Handy to print, add to your records or send to your bookkeeper. The PDF is assembled in your browser, so your invoice is never uploaded.
Why this is safer locally
An invoice holds sensitive data: names, addresses, chamber-of-commerce and VAT numbers, amounts and an IBAN. With an online viewer that sends your file to a server, you do not know where that data ends up. Here the reading and the PDF creation happen entirely on your own device. Open your browser's Network tab and you see no upload.
Want to draw up an invoice yourself? You can with the invoice generator, also without an account. And the background to the new rules is in E-invoicing is becoming mandatory for freelancers.
Open your invoice: UBL invoice viewer. Readable in your browser, and your data stays yours.
Frequently asked questions
What is a UBL invoice?
UBL (Universal Business Language) is the standard XML format for digital invoices in the EU. Through the ViDA regulation, e-invoicing becomes mandatory for B2B step by step from 2026. A UBL invoice is an .xml file; without a viewer you only see raw code.
Can I open an .xml invoice without accounting software?
Yes. Drop the file into the tool and you see the invoice in readable form: supplier, customer, invoice number, lines and totals. You do not have to install software or take out a subscription.
Can I save the UBL invoice as a PDF?
Yes. Besides the readable view you download the same data as a PDF, handy to print or forward to your bookkeeper. The PDF is assembled locally.
Is my invoice uploaded?
No. Reading happens in your browser and the PDF is made locally. Not a byte goes to a server, which is welcome because an invoice contains business and customer data.