What is E-Invoice? Is it Obligatory for Turkish Companies?
E-Invoice, which is not a new document type and has the same legal qualification as a paper invoice, can be briefly explained as “sending and receiving invoices on the internet”. The e-Invoice, whose data format and standard are determined by the Revenue Administration (GIB), has been put into practice in our country as of March 5, 2010, with the tax procuder law (VUK) notification number 397. As per the VUK, e-Invoice contains all the information that should be included in an invoice, while the mutual invoice transmission between the buyer and the seller takes place electronically. One of the aims of the e-Invoice application managed by the GİB is to create mutual trust between the buyer and the seller, and to save time and cost.
How to issue e-Invoice?
An electronic invoice can be issued in three different ways over the digital environment. The electronic invoice creation methods are as follows:
Revenue Administration Portal: It is possible to prepare your electronic invoice free of charge via the e-Invoice portal on the official website. With the GİB Portal, you can organize and follow all processes related to invoice transactions here.
The GİB Portal system It is more useful for businesses that do not have large amounts of invoices. . The storage period of invoices created and issued on the GİB Portal is 6 months. It is the taxpayer’s responsibility to keep the invoices that have completed the 6-month period.
Private Integrator: You can create your electronic invoices by choosing one of the private integrators approved by the Revenue Administration. You can issue invoices through the online portal offered by private integrators, or you can use them with integrations with Accounting packages.
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How to Apply for Electronic Invoice?
When applying for an electronic invoice, you need to follow certain steps. Here’s what you need to do in order:
Financial seal: It is an electronic seal required by the Revenue Administration to be used for e-Invoice transactions. After applying through the Public Certification Center website, which is affiliated with TÜBİTAK, you can complete your electronic seal application by paying the requested fee. If you own a sole proprietorship, you can use e-Signature instead of financial seal.
Who is Required to Switch to e-Invoice?
All businesses with an annual turnover of 5 million TL or more are required to use e-Invoice. In addition, businesses that want to benefit from the advantages of e-Invoice can voluntarily switch to this application. Companies participating voluntarily can leave the system at any time. However, they are obliged to keep the invoices issued during the e-Invoice period for 10 years.