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E-invoicing in general

This guide covers what e-invoicing is, how it works, and what benefits it offers. It also clarifies the roles of e-invoice addresses, EIA codes, and operators.



E-invoice/Electronic invoice

An e-invoice or electronic invoice is a type of invoice that is automatically transferred between software applications. These invoices are sent directly to your company's billing system without manual intervention, speeding up processing and reducing errors.

Invoices are often sent via email as PDF attachments, but these are not the same as e-invoices. A PDF file is designed specifically for visual presentation of an invoice, and purchasing invoice systems cannot directly read their data. This means that email invoices require manual handling.

If necessary, an invoice sent by email can be converted to electronic form using a scanning service. More information about the scanning service can be found here.

 

E-invoice address

An e-invoice address is the address of the sender or recipient through which e-invoices are transmitted. It is similar to the postal address of a traditional paper invoice. The e-invoice address can be checked in the e-invoice address register.

Often, an e-invoice address is referred to as the same as an OVT code.

 

E-invoice operator and service ID

An e-invoice operator is a service provider for electronic invoicing. They receive invoices created in separate billing software and forward them to the recipients. The operator acts as an electronic post office for invoices. E-invoice services are offered not only by specialized e-invoicing operators but also by all Finnish banks. The network formed by banks for e-invoicing is commonly referred to as the bank network.

The service ID is part of the e-invoice address and it directs the invoice to the correct e-invoice operator. The service ID can be checked from the e-invoice address register.

A company can use different e-invoice operators for receiving and sending e-invoices.

 

EIA code

The EIA code consists of the Finnish Tax Administration's code 0037 + the company’s business ID without the hyphen (8 characters) and possible extension (up to 5 characters). The EIA code is used to identify the sender and recipient of the invoice.

 

E-invoice address register/Verkkolaskuosoite.fi

The e-invoice address register is a directory where you can search for the e-invoice addresses of Finnish organizations by the company ID, company's name or the e-invoice address. You can find the directory in https://verkkolaskuosoite.fi/.

Starting e-invoicing

A company can start e-invoicing by registering in Maventa and linking the account to a suitable financial management program capable of handling XML format data.

More information about registration can be found here.

 

Security of e-invoicing

E-invoicing is an extremely secure way to handle invoicing. It protects invoices from, from example, being lost in the mail or on a desk, typographical errors, and archive destruction.

With Maventa, you ensure that your business remains compatible with future solutions, from invoice transmission to archiving: all your company's invoices are in one place, flexibly and securely. As your company's processes change, your invoicing history in Maventa remains compatible, speeding up the transition to a new operating environment. When you store your data in our cloud service, it remains solely your property, yet fully compatible.

Maventa's e-invoices are transmitted securely via an encrypted connection as follows:

  • HTTPS: ERP <-> Maventa
  • HTTPS or SFTP: Maventa <-> Another Operator

Invoicing routes

If a customer cannot receive e-invoices, Maventa automatically searches for the most cost-effective delivery route for the company based on the provided information. Maventa searches for the delivery route for the invoice data in the following order:

  1. e-invoice address
  2. email
  3. postal address (if the print service is enabled)

If the e-invoice address is not provided in the invoice data, Maventa searches for the company's e-invoice address in the e-invoice address register using the recipient's business ID.