Spain has recently introduced the Royal Decree 1007/2023 and its supporting order, which provides a detailed structure for the implementation of computerized billing systems. The government aims to ensure data integrity, traceability, interoperability, and accessibility, as well as preventing the manipulation or concealment of accounting and records.
To ensure that all billing systems comply with technical and functional standards, it will use unalterable and traceable billing records featuring hashes, electronic signatures, and structured formats.
Implementation Timeline: The regulation is effective starting the day after its publication in the Official State Gazette. Following its enactment, software developers have a 9-month period (ending on July 29, 2025) to adapt their billing systems to comply with these new requirements.
Scope: The new regulation will apply to all businesses and all their operations, except those that are already subject to the Immediate Supply of Information (SII) or those who do not have an obligation to invoice.
What is a VERI*FACTU System:
Systems certified as VERI*FACTU are presumed to be compliant with the requirements and are exempt from redundant checks if they’re acting exclusively as VERI*FACTU. VERI*FACTU refers to a “Verifiable Invoice Issuance System”, a regulatory framework designed to ensure that computerized billing systems meet compliance standards. Businesses may choose to operate as a VERI*FACTU system, enabling real-time submission of billing records to the Spanish Tax Agency (AEAT), in line with tax laws.
Submission to Tax Authorities and Billing System Standards:
Systems must connect securely to the State Tax Administration Agency using valid electronic certificates that meet EU standards for submissions, and must process and display any response, including rejection codes, from the tax authority. Billing records must be transmitted using secure XML-based protocols and must be unalterable, verified using hashes, and electronically signed. For traceability, the chain of records must be sequential, each referencing the previous with timestamps and hashes. Systems must record key events like system startup, record anomalies, and data exports.
Technical Requirements:
- Format: All records must use XML/UTF-8 encoding.
- Mandatory data: Issuer identification, invoice details, timestamps, and hashes.
- Electronic signatures: Based on ETSI standards, all records must be signed with qualified certificates to ensure authenticity.
- Hashes and signatures: These should be generated using approved algorithms.
- QR codes: Specifications follow ISO/IEC 18004, with detailed formats provided by the tax authority.
How can SNI help you?
SNI has an end-to-end solution that retrieves data, performs data mapping and processing, and provides communication with tax authorities. The solution has its own customization tables that include the required information by AEAT. By mapping these customization tables, the solution allows end users to easily process and create e-invoices and monitor the XML and human readable versions of the invoices through the user-friendly SNI e-invoice cockpit. After generating the e-invoice, SNI’s solution helps you to sign and send the e-invoices through the government portal.
