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E-invoicing in general

This support article provides an overview of how e-invoicing works, its benefits, and how to start electronic invoicing. It also explains key concepts ranging from e-invoice addresses and operators to data security and scanning services.

E-invoice / Electronic invoice

An e-invoice (or electronic invoice) is an invoice in a digital and structured format (such as XML) that transfers automatically from one system to another. Unlike traditional invoices, an e-invoice does not require printing, mailing, or manual data entry.

When a supplier sends an e-invoice, it transfers directly into the receiving organisation's purchase invoice processing system. This makes financial management real-time and straightforward.

 🗒️ A PDF invoice sent via email is not an e-invoice.

PDF attachments sent by email are designed for human readability (visual presentation). Because a PDF file does not contain structured data, purchase invoice systems cannot read its information automatically. Therefore, an email invoice always requires manual processing or manual data entry .

Key benefits of e-invoicing

  • Speed: Invoices reach the recipient in seconds, which accelerates the approval cycle and payment process.
  • Accuracy: Because data is transferred electronically, typing or reading errors do not occur in the system.
  • Cost savings: Automation saves time, material costs, and the expenses caused by manual work.

 💡 Utilising a Scanning Service

If invoices still arrive by email in PDF format or on paper, they can be automatically converted into electronic e-invoices using a scanning service. The scanning service reads the invoice details and transfers them into the system in the correct format.

Read more about setting up the scanning service here.

E-invoice address / EIA

 An e-invoice address (or EIA) is a unique identifier for the invoice sender or recipient, which ensures the invoice reaches the correct destination. In terms of functionality, it corresponds to the postal address of a traditional paper invoice. The e-invoice address can be verified from the e-invoice address registry.

🗒️ Often, an e-invoice address means the same as an OVT identifier.

E-invoice operator / Operator identifier

An e-invoice operator acts as an electronic post office for invoices. It receives the invoices created in the invoicing software and forwards them to the recipient.

  • Intermediaries: E-invoicing services are provided by specialised operators (such as Maventa) as well as Finnish banks (the bank network).
  • Operator identifier: This code is part of the e-invoice address. It lets the system know which operator the invoice should be routed to.

The operator identifier can be verified from the e-invoice address registry.

🗒️ A company can choose to use different operators for sending and receiving invoices.

OVT identifier

The OVT identifier is a common format for an e-invoice address used to identify organisations. It is formed as follows:

  • The Finnish Tax Administration identifier: 0037
  • The company's Business ID (Y-tunnus) without the hyphen (8 characters)
  • An optional internal organizational specifier (maximum of 5 characters)

Therefore, if a company's Business ID is 1234567-8, the OVT identifier without a specifier is in the format 003712345678.

E-invoice address registry / Verkkolaskuosoite.fi

 The e-invoice address registry is a public and centralised directory where you can search for the e-invoice addresses and operator identifiers of Finnish companies and organisations. Searches can be conducted using a Business ID, company name, or e-invoice address at https://verkkolaskuosoite.fi/.

Starting electronic invoicing

Starting electronic invoicing is easy. With Maventa, starting e-invoicing proceeds as follows:

  1. The company registers with Maventa.
  2. Connect the Maventa account to a suitable financial management software capable of processing XML data.

💡 If the company does not yet use financial management software, software containing a ready-made Maventa integration can be found on our Integrations page here. 

Security of electronic invoicing

Electronic invoicing is a highly secure way to manage a company's cash flow and invoice archiving. It protects invoices from getting lost, minimises typing errors, and ensures that data remains safely stored in an electronic archive.

In the Maventa service, your data is stored securely in the cloud service and always remains the property of your company, even if your company's other processes or software change along the way.

Technical Protection and Data Transfer

Maventa's e-invoices are always transmitted via a protected and encrypted connection:

  • Financial management software (ERP) ↔ Maventa: HTTPS connection
  • Maventa ↔ Another operator: HTTPS or SFTP connection

Invoicing routes / delivery methods

 If your customer cannot receive e-invoices, Maventa automatically searches for the most cost-effective sending route for the company based on the provided details. More detailed information on defining the delivery method can be found here.