Status of Electronic Invoicing in Finland
Electronic invoicing is already widespread in Finland, despite the absence of mandatory regulations for B2B transactions.
In the B2G sector, electronic invoicing has been common since 2010, as public administrations have preferred receiving invoices in digital format. Since 2021, the government has only accepted electronic invoices that comply with the national European standard. To meet this requirement, invoices must first be validated through the electronic invoicing system before being sent to the recipient.
Electronic documents must be issued in the national formats TEAPPSXML 3.0 and Finvoice 3.0, both of which meet European standards. In April 2024, the Finnish State Treasury (Valtiokonttori) announced that invoices sent to the Central Government must use Peppol Advanced Ordering as part of a broader plan to encourage the adoption of the PEPPOL framework.
In the B2B sector, while there is no mandatory deadline for electronic invoicing adoption, it is already widely practiced. The Finnish government is expected to further promote its use, which could lead to new requirements or deadlines in the future.
The adoption of electronic invoicing in the private sector depends on agreements between the parties involved, in line with the European Union's Directive 2014/55/EU, which aims to standardize invoicing processes across member states.
Electronic Invoicing Model in Finland
Finland does not have a state-run electronic invoicing platform. Businesses are free to choose any private provider to generate and send digital invoices. Technology providers maintain and update a public database containing reception and transmission details for public and private entities enabled for electronic invoicing.
The Peppol network is widely used, allowing Finnish businesses to securely and efficiently send and receive electronic invoices both domestically and internationally.
