Leitweg-ID explained: invoicing German public authorities
Updated 2026-10-05
A Leitweg-ID is a routing number for invoices to German public authorities. It tells the authority's invoice portal which office should receive your invoice. If you bill a German ministry, city, university or other public body, they will give you one, and your XRechnung must contain it.
What it looks like
A Leitweg-ID has up to three parts separated by hyphens: a coarse address (for example a state or federal code), an optional fine address, and a two-digit check number. Example format: 04011000-1234512345-06. Never guess it: it is assigned by the authority you are billing.
Where to put it
The Leitweg-ID goes into the buyer reference field of the invoice (business term BT-10). In the einvoicegen form, enter it in "Buyer reference / PO / Leitweg-ID".
Do I need one for private companies?
No. Leitweg-IDs exist only for public sector buyers. XRechnung still requires a buyer reference for every invoice, though. For a company, use their purchase order number or the reference they gave you. If you have none, einvoicegen fills in your invoice number, which satisfies the rule.
Sending the invoice
Public authorities usually do not accept e-invoices by normal email. They use portals such as the federal ZRE or OZG-RE, or a state portal. Your client will tell you which one. You upload the XRechnung XML file there.
Need to send an e-invoice?
Create a valid XRechnung and ZUGFeRD invoice in 2 minutes, in English. Free preview, validated with the official KoSIT validator.