B2B electronic invoicing in Spain is getting closer every day

B2B electronic invoicing will be mandatory in Spain.

The project is included in the "Crea y Crece" Law approved in September 2022, which establishes electronic invoicing as the only system that can be used in business relationships between companies and self-employed in Spain. The initiative will ensure greater agility and control over payments, leading to a reduction in delayed commercial payments and promoting business growth.

Draft on the technical regulation of B2B electronic invoicing in Spain

The draft defines the technical requirements on which the final law that will regulate the operation of mandatory electronic invoicing in Spain will be based.

It places special emphasis on mechanisms that allow verification of the payment date, as well as control mechanisms and response acknowledgments between issuers and payers to monitor payment deadlines and delinquency rates.The presented text also focuses on the minimum requirements for interoperability between electronic invoicing technology solution providers, security, control, and standardization of devices and computer systems.

The text anticipates the characteristics of the public electronic invoicing platform managed by the Spanish tax agency, which will act as a concentration hub for all exchanged electronic invoices, whether processed through this platform or through the use of private providers.

Deadlines for the implementation of electronic invoicing in Spain

Until July 10th, affected companies and service providers can propose improvements and suggestions regarding the draft, which may or may not be considered in the final text.

The final regulation will be drafted after analyzing the allegations in the form of a "Royal Decree." This decree will come into effect immediately upon its publication, initiating the countdown for adherence to the project according to the defined implementation deadlines.

If there are no changes to the presented draft, the deadlines to consider from the definitive publication of the Royal Decree will be:

• One year for companies with annual revenue exceeding 8 million euros.
• Two years for the rest of the companies (those with annual revenue below 8 million euros).

Obligations for companies and professionals

Pending the publication of the final law that will regulate the mandatory electronic invoicing system in Spain, the draft of the technical regulation establishes the following requirements, among others:

• Obligation to issue, send, and receive electronic invoices in their business relationships with other entrepreneurs and professionals.
• Provide information on the status of invoices.
• Ensure free interconnection and interoperability between technological solutions or platforms. The procedure for accrediting interconnection and interoperability will be determined by regulations.
• Recipients of electronic invoices cannot compel the issuer to use a specific predetermined electronic invoicing solution, platform, or service provider.
• Maintain access to electronic invoices for 4 years for recipients. When the recipients are no longer clients of the issuing companies, access must be allowed for 3 years after the termination of contracts.
• Facilitate access, viewing, downloading, and printing of electronic invoices for recipients.

Key benefits of using electronic invoicing between companies

The use of electronic invoicing brings significant advantages in the daily operations of companies:

• Digitization and optimization of business relationships.
• Time and cost reduction.
• Increased productivity.
• Enhanced security and reliability of electronic transactions.
• Reduction of arrears in commercial operations.
• Traceability and control of payments between companies and the self-employed.
• Reduction of human errors through process automation.

EDICOM’s Global Electronic Invoicing Platform

EDICOM, one of the international references in electronic invoicing, is the most widely used provider by Spanish companies to exchange electronic invoices among themselves. Our platform is also one of the most used by Spanish and worldwide companies to manage electronic invoicing with Spanish public administrations, as well as other fiscal procedures such as SII or Ticket Bai.

EDICOM offers its clients a global solution that complies with all the technical requirements established in the Spanish electronic invoicing system and any other country in the world.