Suppliers

<h3><span class="number-list"><i>1</i></span>Get familiar with the legislation and EU standard</h3>

Even though private sector suppliers are not obliged to comply with the eInvoicing Directive (2014/55/EU) or the European standard  (EN 16931), many Member States may have their own additional national obligations or preferences for suppliers to send electronic invoices.

Each Member State is entitled to define its own interpretation of the eInvoicing Directive. Therefore, how your country's public sector is impacted by eInvoicing depends on how your government has transposed the Directive into national law. To learn more, check out your Member State's country factsheet .

<h3><span class="number-list"><i>2</i></span>Choose a type of eInvoice</h3>

eInvoices are generally classified as visual invoices or structured data invoices. As a supplier, you are free to choose the type of invoice you want to use, but the eInvoicing Directive has mandated your that public sector client organisations in the public sector to have the capability to receive structured to receive structured data invoices.

Learn more about the two different types of invoices and the benefits of each. Most importantly, suppliers using structured data invoices only need one invoice format to have their invoices processed and paid quickly and efficiently by all public authorities across Europe.

<h3><span class="number-list"><i>3</i></span>Define requirements</h3>

Based on the type of eInvoice chosen, define your requirements and agree on the required level of security. See our documentation and support services to help you through this process.

<h3><span class="number-list"><i>4</i></span>Decide how to develop your eInvoicing application</h3>

To electronically receive invoices, you need a technical solution. You can choose to develop your own application in-house or find a solution provider that can do this for you.  Alternatively, you can also look into off-the-shelf software to find a suitable solution. We provide extensive documentation and support services to help you assess the needed resources and capabilities.

<h3><span class="number-list"><i>5</i></span>Implement your solution</h3>

We offer an eInvoicing implementation checklist that identifies key areas of consideration when implementing eInvoicing. If you’ve chosen to engage a solution provider, they will generally lead this process for you.

<h3><span class="number-list"><i>6</i></span>Test your compliance</h3>

Our conformance testing service provides test cases and a ready-to-use testing platform to assess your solution’s technical compliance with the European standard. Technical support is provided by our experienced staff throughout the entire testing process.

<h3><span class="number-list"><i>7</i></span>Send your first eInvoice</h3>

Now you can send eInvoices to any public sector client and be confident that your invoice can be processed quickly and efficiently in any European Union Member State.