Convert GML to GeoPackage Online — Free GIS Converter

GML is the authoritative exchange format for government and institutional spatial data, but GeoPackage is a far more practical working format — converting GML to GeoPackage gives you a compact, queryable SQLite database that QGIS and ArcGIS Pro can load, edit, and analyze directly without the overhead of XML parsing.

Why convert GML to GeoPackage?

Government and INSPIRE datasets distributed as GML are designed for data exchange, not for interactive analysis. GML files are XML — verbose, slow to parse, and awkward to edit in a GIS. GeoPackage, built on SQLite, is the OGC-recommended working format for exactly these datasets. QGIS loads GeoPackage layers instantly, ArcGIS Pro supports it natively, and the file travels easily to the field for offline use. GeoPackage also preserves the full CRS of the source GML, supports multiple layers in one file, and has no Shapefile-style limitations on field names or file size. For anyone who regularly works with downloaded INSPIRE or WFS data in a desktop GIS, converting GML to GeoPackage is the right first step before analysis or editing.

Why use geodata.plus

• Free tier includes 3 conversions per month with no account required
• Automatic GML schema parsing and CRS detection via srsName attributes
• Preserves the source CRS in the GeoPackage gpkg_spatial_ref_sys table, or reprojects to any target EPSG
• Entirely browser-based — no GDAL command line required
• Encrypted upload (TLS); files stored in Cloudflare R2, automatically deleted after 2 days (free) or 7 days (Pro)
• Supports GML 2, GML 3.1, and GML 3.2 input schemas

How it works

1. Upload your .gml file to geodata.plus
2. geodata.plus parses the GML schema and reads the srsName to detect the coordinate reference system
3. Select GeoPackage as the output format; optionally choose a target CRS
4. Download your .gpkg file and open it directly in QGIS or ArcGIS Pro

GML format

GML (Geography Markup Language) is an OGC XML encoding standard used by WFS services and the EU INSPIRE spatial data infrastructure. GML documents can hold features of any geometry type and any CRS. The feature schema — the list of attribute names and types — is defined in companion XSD schema documents, giving GML strong typing and interoperability. In practice, GML files downloaded from national portals tend to use each country's standard projected CRS (e.g., ETRS89-LAEA for pan-European data, or national grid systems for country-specific datasets).

| Property | Value | |---|---| | Extension | .gml | | Type | Vector, single-file XML | | Coordinate system | Any CRS (declared via srsName) | | Geometry types | Point, LineString, Polygon, Multi- variants, complex curves/surfaces | | Common software | QGIS, ArcGIS, WFS services, EU INSPIRE portals, government systems |

GeoPackage format

GeoPackage is an OGC open standard implemented as a SQLite database. A single .gpkg file can contain multiple vector layers (as separate feature tables), raster tile pyramids, and attribute-only tables. Each layer has its own CRS registration in the gpkg_spatial_ref_sys metadata table. GeoPackage supports all geometry types, has no field name length restrictions, handles proper datetime values, and scales well beyond the 2 GB Shapefile limit. It is the recommended working and distribution format for modern offline GIS workflows, supported natively in QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, GDAL/OGR, and most mobile GIS platforms.

| Property | Value | |---|---| | Extension | .gpkg | | Type | Vector, single-file (SQLite) | | Coordinate system | Any CRS | | Geometry types | Point, LineString, Polygon, Multi- variants | | Common software | QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, GDAL/OGR, mobile GIS, offline workflows |

Frequently asked questions

Can I open the converted GeoPackage directly in QGIS without any additional setup? Yes. QGIS treats GeoPackage as a first-class data source. After converting with geodata.plus, you can drag the .gpkg file directly into the QGIS layer panel. If the file contains multiple layers (for example, if the GML had both polygon and line feature types), QGIS will prompt you to choose which layers to load or offer to load all of them.

Does the GeoPackage preserve the full CRS from the GML, including ETRS89 variants? Yes. geodata.plus registers the source CRS from the GML srsName into the GeoPackage gpkg_spatial_ref_sys table, preserving the full CRS definition including the EPSG code. If the source GML uses ETRS89 / EPSG:4258 or a national projected CRS, that CRS is faithfully recorded in the GeoPackage metadata and QGIS will display it correctly without any manual CRS assignment.

My GML file has complex attributes with long names. Does GeoPackage handle them better than Shapefile? Significantly better. GeoPackage (SQLite) has no restriction on column name length, unlike Shapefile's 10-character limit. All GML attribute names are preserved exactly as they appear in the GML schema, making the GeoPackage output much easier to work with than a Shapefile where names would be truncated and require a lookup table.