Managing Electronic Documents in Spain
As a customer in Spain, you can receive electronic documents directly into Continia Document Capture via email attachments.
In Spain, all electronic invoices sent to the public sector must go through a portal called FACe. Any established business in Spain can access this portal for free. The invoices must be in a structured format called Facturae and signed with an electronic signature based on a qualified certificate. Facturae uses XML, but it's not the same as the format used in most of the EU. Unfortunately, there are currently no plans in Spain to adopt the global standard of Peppol, which makes it difficult to handle cross-border invoicing.
Important
The Spanish authorities are planning to make B2B electronic invoicing mandatory soon. Although no specific timeline has been set yet, the typical regulations will come into effect within a shorter phase-in period of 12 months after the publication of the Official State Gazette. As of March 2024, the mandate has not yet been implemented, but it is expected to happen around the summer of 2025. Once the legislation is finally approved, it will be supported by Document Capture.
The table below outlines the current regulatory states and future outlooks for B2G, B2B, and B2C (business-to-consumer) sectors.
| Transaction Type | Current Regulatory State | Regulatory Outlook |
|---|---|---|
| B2G | Electronic invoicing has been mandatory since 2015, with support for various XML standards such as EDIFACT, CEEFACT, and a UBL standard that is not compatible with Peppol e-delivery platforms. | No changes are expected. |
| B2B | A free FACeB2B platform is provided by Spanish authorities for B2B electronic invoicing in the same formats such as EDIFACT, CEEFACT, and a UBL standard that is not compatible with Peppol e-delivery platforms. | Legislation is expected to be finalized by summer 2025 with a rollout period of 12 months. Planned to be supported by Document Capture. |
| B2C | No legislation is in place. | No changes are expected. |