Serbia moves to G2B phase of eInvoicing

On July 1st, 2022, Serbia entered the next phase of mandatory e-Invoicing, which includes transactions between the public and private sectors (G2B).

As of 1st May 2022, Serbia already had mandatory electronic invoicing (e-Invoicing) for all transactions between public sector companies (G2G) and private to public sector (B2G) to now enter the next (G2B) phase of e-Invoicing, with the aim of making all forms of e-Invoicing mandatory by January 1st, 2023.

How did the eInvoicing process go in Serbia?

May 1st, 2022: All G2G and B2G transactions
July 1st, 2022: All G2B transactions
January 1st, 2023: All B2B transactions

The Ministry of Finance of Serbia started adopting eInvoicing in 2022. The first key date was May 1st, 2022, when eInvoicing for G2G and B2G transactions became mandatory. Any VAT-registered company that sent invoices to public entities had to send its invoice electronically, while public entities had to have established processes in order to be able to receive eInvoices.

As of July 1st, 2022, the process of eInvoicing in Serbia goes a step further, because private individuals must be able to receive, as well as send, electronic invoices between any public entity.

What is the latest (G2B) phase?

The latest phase involves most private entities. In Serbia, utility companies such as water supply, energy and internet service providers are classified as public figures. This means that all invoices for utilities are G2B transactions.

This phase allows private companies to gain a thorough understanding of the eInvoice process before January 1st, 2023, when all of their invoices will have to become electronic.  

How does the e-invoicing process work in Serbia?

Serbia exchanges documents using the national e-Invoice (Sistem E-faktura) platform. Documents include invoices, credit/debit notes, and advance receipts. All documents must be presented in UBL 2.1 format and kept for at least 10 years (starting one year after the invoice is issued). Saving eInvoices is currently free of charge.

eInvoice has its own interface that allows easy exchange of documents. The system has the ability to confirm or reject invoices. If after 15 days the user does not respond to the invoice, the eInvoice will do one of two things:

• It will automatically accept the invoice if the recipient is a public/government person.
• If the recipient is a private person has 5 more days to declare or the invoice will be rejected.

eInvoice also connects to any ERP provider or platform, and therefore creating a receivables and collection process is seamless.

What is the role of an information mediator?

Businesses can choose to work with intermediaries who will perform e-Invoicing processes for them. But why would a company do this if the e-Invoice is so easy to use?

For many businesses, Value Added Services (VAS) are what make e-Invoicing even more useful. Your services include:

• Digital payment functionality
• Ability to engage and manage customers and suppliers
• Use only one system to manage the creation, distribution, and exchange of documents.
• All useful services that reduce manual, time-consuming tasks associated with traditional billing processes.

Before an intermediary offers its eInvoicing services, they must be certified by the Serbian Ministry of Finance. The mediator must be resident in Serbia, and be able to demonstrate criteria such as the ability to digitally store and archive documents, with experience of more than 10 years.

What are the next steps?

At Unifiedpost Group, we are ready to offer certified intermediary services that help businesses manage eInvoicing processes, document management and transactions using only one solution.

Learn how eInvoicing processes create tax compliance but also provide businesses with additional services, with added value through which they can transform their financial processes.

Explore our eInvoicing solutions in Serbia and global services available for businesses of any size.

Unifiedpost software solutions - facilitate business, speed up processes, make them more secure.