Electronic Invoicing,  Compliance

2020 Roadmap: the Advance of E-Invoicing in Europe and Latin America, and Launch in New Markets

einvocing worldwide

In 2020, the advance of digitalization and its implementation in B2G (business to government) relations will result in important new features that should be taken into consideration, especially in the area of e-invoicing. E-invoicing caontinues to grow in Europe with the application of Directive 2014/55/EC; its increasing use in Latin America (Paraguay and Bolivia); and its introduction in growing markets like Turkey and India.

E-invoicing in the European Union

In Europe, 2020 will be a pivotal year for e-invoicing. As of 18th April, e-invoicing in B2G relations with regional and local public administrative bodies will be obligatory pursuant to Directive 2014/55/EC.

The goal is to make e-invoicing the primary invoicing system in Europe by 2020. In Germany, starting in November, invoices must be sent electronically to all federal public administrative bodies (ministries and central services of the German state).

Portugal has made e-invoicing mandatory for large suppliers of public administrations starting on 18th April, and for all other enterprises on 31st December.

Also of note in public procurement, Italy has launched its purchase orders routing node (NSO). As of 1st February 2020, National Health Services (SSN) suppliers in Italy will only be able to receive electronic orders through the government’s NSO platform (Nodo Smistamento Ordini). This means all companies that supply the SSN must be able to receive and process orders electronically. In technical terms, this entails connecting to the NSO platform directly or via the PEPPOL Network.

Outside the European Union, in Turkey. E-invoicing has been mandatory since January 2020 through E-arşiv Fatura. Paper invoices are no longer valid.

Furthermore, Turkish enterprises that issue invoices to foreign enterprises must declare them via the TRA portal in E-arşiv Fatura format.

In Latin America, the different processes to make the use of e-invoicing ubiquitous continue to make progress in the region, and use of e-invoicing has spread to new countries.

Paraguay. In May, mandatory e-invoicing will be rolled out in stages. Full implementation will begin after a controlled voluntary phase.  To use e-invoicing in Paraguay, users must be authorized by the tax administration as e-invoicing service providers and meet certain technical requirements such as acquiring an electronic signature as an authorized Certification Service Provider and having the required technical means to issue, receive and store e-invoices.

Bolivia. The process of generalizing use of e-invoicing will begin on 1st June . Progressive implementation is planned to extend to 1st June 2021. Different taxpayer groups will be added in stages over a year. Group II will start on 1st September and group III on 1st December. The Bolivian e-invoicing process will include authorization, issuance, registration and electronic transmission of tax documents (invoices, tax notes and equivalent documents) in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements established by Regulatory Resolution No. 101800000026.

The Dominican Republic is launching its voluntary phase this year, while Guatemala and Ecuador will continue to implement their plans with the obligatory incorporation of new taxpayers in 2020.

In Asia, e-invoicing is being implemented in India, but in the private sphere, in B2B relations. Implementation for taxpayers began in January 2020 on a voluntary basis. E-invoicing will be mandatory for enterprises with turnover of more than 100 crore rupees per year (approximately €12,643,299.19) on 1st October (postponed from 1st April) . India's e-invoicing system is called GST System and employs a pre-validation system. Taxpayers issue invoices and send them to Invoice Registration Portals (IRPs). The portals generate a unique Invoice Reference Number (IRN) for each invoice, sign them digitally, and generate a QR code. The IRPs email the e-invoices to the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) and to the invoice recipients. Invoices must be generated in JSON format in accordance with the requirements of the Indian tax authority, the GST Council.

If you’d like to receive all the news on e-invoicing and e-procurement to stay abreast of the latest developments in tax and fiscal compliance, feel free to download our e-Invoicing and VAT Compliance Calendar.

EDICOM has also developed the Global e-Invoicing platform specifically for enterprises working in multinational environments and new businesses looking to open up new markets.  It simplifies the processes of issuing and receiving e-invoices by adapting to the technical and legal requirements of each country. The platform is completely integrated with your company's management system and is kept up to date at all times.

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