Since January 15, 2015, when Law No. 25/2013 dated December 27, 2013, entered into force, invoice (B2G) has been mandatory in Spain for the public sector. Invoices to be sent to Public Administrations must comply with the configured form of Facturae [eFatura] 3.2.X with electronic signature XAdES.
According to the Law No. 25/2013, public administrations can accept a printed invoice if the invoice amount is less than 5000 Euros, while eInvoice is obligatory for amounts above 5000 Euros.
e-Invoice Platform (FACe) and eInvoice Management
The Spanish government offers an e-Invoice entry point (FACe) as a free service to all public entities. The use of FACe is mandatory for central government and optional for regional and local governments. FACe provides e-invoice sending and tracking to thousands of public administrations connected to the system.
Public administration providers are free to choose their eInvoicing solutions. The electronic invoicing platform FACe can access through open, public, and unpaid automated interfaces. It has created a dynamic market for customized solutions with high added value to enable large companies, the entire banking industry, and many SMEs to offer integrated electronic invoicing services to the platform.
Approach to receiving and processing eInvoices
While the FACe is the only entry point for e-Invoices for central government, local and regional governments can develop their solutions. Suppliers can obtain “e-Invoice addresses” of any public authority (even non-FACe affiliates) using the directories and query services available on the FACe portal.
Electronic invoicing services provided by FACe can access through the platform’s portal. A web services interface also provides to support the direct integration of invoice processing applications. The necessary steps for sending e-mail are stated on the FACe website. Then it is possible to send an e-invoice to the public administration and check the transaction status of the invoice.
As of October 2019, the FACe system has processed more than 42 million e-Invoices. As of March 2021, more than 1.2 million invoices were processed monthly. In the first half of 2015, savings of 14 million Euros for suppliers and 24 million Euros for public administrations.
FACEB2B System
FACeB2B, which has been in service since June 2018, is a new platform that allows B2B efficiency. It is free for businesses. It uses the same format and interfaces that already exist for B2G billing. FACEB2B, which has been functional since February 20, 2019, is a system that allows companies to integrate invoices into their systems.
The main functions of the FACEB2B system:
On the one hand, FACEB2B offers companies a web services interface that allows integration with the system through the following functions. This interface offers many functions such as creating, canceling, downloading, and monitoring the status of the invoice. The web portal offers two different accesses for the customer and the billing service company. Besides, the portal will offer an asset search engine based on company number, name, and code, similar to the DIRe system’s search engine.
Registration and invoice sending to FACeB2B
If a company wants to use FACeB2B, it must first register. Doing so requires a DIRe code. The DIRe code is a code assigned to a company so that it can receive electronic invoices through FACeB2B’s Public Entry Point. For this, the receiving company must register with FACeB2B and register the DIRe code. This code is usually your NIF [NIF is a code required when completing the data of both the issuer and recipient of an invoice] followed by four zeros. Unlike FACe, one must work with a service provider to take advantage of all the benefits FACeB2B has to offer. The provider must also register with DIRe and FACeB2B. The relevant company must authorize the service provider as ESF (Empresa de Servicios de Facturación-Fatura Service Provider Company) during registration.
Finally, it is possible to export invoices in a specific format only from an ERP system such as SAP or Microsoft Dynamics NAV. A specialist EDI provider requires for this.