Background: Why Two Portals Became a Problem
Since 2018, Germany has run two separate federal B2G e-invoicing portals—ZRE for the central federal administration and OZG-RE for subordinate federal bodies and several Länder. Operating both systems duplicated infrastructure and left the suppliers unsure which platform each authority expected them to use.
The Consolidation Decision (November 2024)
In November 2024, the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) and the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) agreed to merge the systems, designating OZG-RE as the single portal for all federal authorities. The move aligns federal processes with the European e-invoicing standard (EN 16931).
Migration Timeline to December 2025
- 23 May 2025 – Migration project kicks off; the Bundeswehr Purchasing Office is the first agency to switch.
- 20 June 2025 – First phase of additional federal bodies expected on OZG-RE.
- 31 December 2025 – After this date only OZG-RE will accept invoices and ZRE will be closed completely.
Practical Impact on Suppliers
- Peppol users: no manual changes needed as the routing IDs will be repointed automatically.
- Portal users: suppliers that currently upload invoices directly to ZRE must register on OZG-RE in 2025 to maintain compliance once ZRE closes.
