Trainings for the use of electronic invoicing systems started

Organized by NALED and with the support of the Ministry of Finance, the British Embassy and the StarTech project, the first trainings on the use of electronic invoicing systems were held this week. The opportunity to learn more about this platform was first given to the trainers in charge of further education of the end users of the system, and then to the companies from the IT sector that will provide services of information intermediaries.

The digitalization sector within the Ministry of Finance is in charge of launching and operating the electronic invoicing platform, with the Law on Electronic Invoicing, adopted in April this year, serving as a starting point.

- At the center of the platform for electronic invoicing is the Law on Electronic Invoicing, in the drafting of which over 200 people participated with great dedication, and which is fully harmonized with the relevant directive of the European Union. Although the law has already entered into force, the provisions relating to public sector entities will become binding as of January 1 next year. From that day on, the public sector will have to pay all its obligations through an electronic invoicing system. In addition, business entities that send invoices to public sector entities are also obliged to use our platform from the beginning of next year - said Vladimir Pejčić, advisor to the Ministry of Finance, adding that from January 1, 2023, representatives of the private sector will be obliged to perform their mutual transactions through the electronic invoicing system.

According to Pejčić, the launch of the electronic invoicing system will not lead to the abolition of the Central Register of Invoices, but will serve as a kind of upgrade and a means for the development of eInvoices.

After introductory remarks and a review of the legal framework, the participants were addressed by a representative of the Consortium of Implementers, Igor Stanišić, who demonstrated the work of the electronic invoicing platform.

-Since this month, a demo version of the eInvoice system is available, which means that every interested user will be able to get acquainted with the portal and gain insight into its functioning. Registration is available in both Serbian and English and can be done through two-factor authentication or with the help of a qualified electronic certificate. Authorized persons will oversee the account creation - we will use the data of the Business Registers Agency for businesses, while the data for the public sector will be provided by the Treasury Administration. Additionally, the electronic invoicing system is connected to the SSO (single sign on) provided by the Office for IT and eGovernment, the Central Invoice Register, the system for incoming invoices (SUF), as well as the Tax Administration. The integration of the electronic invoicing platform with the mentioned systems will enable the entire procedure to be completed quickly and easily, in just a few steps. The goal of our electronic platform is to be as easy to use as possible so that everyone can use it, regardless of the level of information literacy - said Stanišić.

When it comes to trainings for IT companies, it was said at the meeting that they are also included by the communication plan of the Ministry of Finance. In addition to the already existing Law on Electronic Invoicing, two rulebooks are being prepared that will additionally regulate the activities of information intermediaries - the Rulebook on the manner of operation of the central information intermediary and the Rulebook on the registration procedure for access to the electronic invoicing system. The mentioned ministry will be in charge of controlling the information intermediaries’ activities.

In order to further facilitate the process for the users, the Ministry of Finance has announced technical instructions for the use of electronic invoicing systems, as well as advanced support in the form of a contact center that will be open to all their questions and dilemmas.