KSeF invoice XML to PDF in English
A KSeF invoice is an XML file. A PDF made from it is called a visualisation: a readable picture of the XML, not the invoice itself.
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What the converter does
- Draws each PDF with the generator the Ministry of Finance publishes as open source (CIRFMF/ksef-pdf-generator 1.1.48 (2026-11-06), MIT licence). The code is used unmodified.
- Prints every value as it stands in the XML. The PDF font (Roboto) covers Latin, Greek and Cyrillic letters; if an invoice holds characters it cannot draw (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hebrew, Arabic, Thai, emoji), the PDF says so in its stamp and the file is listed on the result, in the workbook and in the ZIP's README.
- Stamps every page "Visualisation - not an invoice".
- Adds the KSeF verification QR code and link when the invoice's KSeF number is known.
Where the English labels come from
The official generator supports several languages through translation files, but its English file contains placeholder text only ("ExampleText"), and the maintainers were asked on 6 November 2026 whether the translation files would be maintained at all. So there are no official English labels to use. The English labels in our PDFs are our own translation of the official Polish labels. If you need the official wording, choose "Polish" in the converter.
Source: CIRFMF/ksef-pdf-generator 1.1.48 (2026-11-06). Read 2026-11-10.
Is an English visualisation allowed?
| Question in the official Q&A | Answer (our translation) | Original |
|---|---|---|
| Can the invoice visualisation be in English or bilingual? | Yes. The visualisation may be in another language, but once translated it must match, in substance, the data in the XML file sent to KSeF. | Tak. Wizualizacja może być w innym języku, ale musi być zgodna pod względem merytorycznym (po przetłumaczeniu) z danymi w pliku XML przesłanym do KSeF. |
| Must the visualisation look like the Ministry's template? | No. Programs may generate their own look. The visualisation must reflect the substance of the data in KSeF so that it does not mislead the recipient about the terms of the transaction. | Nie. Programy mogą generować własny wygląd faktury. Wizualizacja musi odzwierciedlać pod względem merytorycznym dane w KSeF aby nie wprowadzać w błąd co do warunków transakcji, osoby, która taką wizualizację otrzymuje. |
| Must the visualisation have a QR code? | Yes, if the invoice is passed on outside KSeF (for example as a PDF). The QR code lets the recipient check it in the system. | Tak, jeśli faktura będzie przekazywana poza KSeF (np. w PDF-ie). Kod QR umożliwia sprawdzenie w systemie, a po wpisaniu danych dodatkowych jej pobranie z systemu. |
Source: KSeF 2.0 questions and answers (Ministry of Finance). Read 2026-11-10.
The risk to know about
An individual tax ruling of 5 May 2026 (reference 0114-KDIP1-2.4012.88.2026.1.RST, Director of the National Tax Information) held that a visualisation which differs from the structured invoice "may be treated as a separate invoice" under art. 108 of the VAT Act. We have not read the ruling itself, only a press report of it. In that report's own reading, the ruling suggests that even a renamed field, or data present in the XML but missing from the PDF, could be enough for such a difference.
That is why these PDFs keep the official layout with all its fields, change no values, and are stamped as visualisations. Whether a particular document is safe to send to a business partner is a question for your tax adviser.
Source: infor.pl, 8 October 2026: report on ruling 0114-KDIP1-2.4012.88.2026.1.RST. Read 2026-11-10.