Electronic invoicing Costa Rica
The electronic invoicing system in Costa Rica is managed by the Ministry of Finance, which oversees the validation and issuance of electronic documents in business transactions
Here's a breakdown of how the system works:
Submission of Invoices: Taxpayers send an XML file containing the invoice to the Ministry of Finance for validation. This submission triggers the validation process.
Validation Process: Upon receiving the invoice, the Ministry of Finance has up to 3 hours to validate it. This validation includes structural and semantic checks, ensuring accuracy in amounts and other details.
Receipt of Acceptance or Rejection: After validation, the Ministry of Finance sends a receipt to the issuer indicating whether the invoice is accepted or rejected. This message accompanies the invoice sent to the recipient.
Recipient Response: The recipient has the responsibility to accept, partially accept, or reject the invoice. This response must be sent within a specified timeframe to the General Directorate of Taxation for validation.
Confirmation or Rejection: If the recipient rejects the invoice, a new confirmation message must be sent within the designated timeframe.
Electronic invoices must be issued in XML format, specifically version 4.3, and must be digitally signed using a certificate from an international certification authority to ensure integrity and authenticity.
The adoption of electronic invoicing in Costa Rica aims to combat tax fraud, improve tax control and collection processes, simplify procedures, and automate supervision processes, ultimately benefiting both public and private entities.
Types of Electronic Receipts:
- Invoice: Supports the sale of goods and provision of services.
- General Electronic Invoice: A global invoice for taxpayers not requesting their own electronic invoice.
- Export Electronic Invoice: Details export of goods and services abroad.
- Purchase Electronic Invoice: Certifies purchase of goods/services by taxpayers excluded from electronic receipts.
- Credit Note and Debit Note: Allows annulment or modification of original document's accounting effects.
- Electronic Ticket: Supports sale of goods/services for final consumers.
- Acknowledgments: Confirmations or rejections of documents.
For the issuance of electronic invoices for airline tickets, there are specific guidelines for both airlines and travel agencies, including deadlines for issuing electronic tickets and invoicing procedures.
The use of a Catalog of Goods and Services (CAByS) helps standardize product and service classification for tax purposes, ensuring consistency in invoicing.
To facilitate the process, technology providers like EDICOM offer platforms for automating the issuance and receipt of electronic invoices, integrating with management systems and ensuring compliance with legal requirements.
Benefits:
- Cost Savings: Elimination of paper, printing, and storage costs.
- Increased Productivity: Automation of processes frees up administrative time.
- Efficiency and Error Reduction: Automation reduces human errors and speeds up processes.
- Shorter Delivery and Collection Times: Immediate processing reduces payment terms.
- Security: Digital signatures ensure integrity, origin, and authenticity.
- Agile and Legal Storage: Secure digital storage reduces storage costs and facilitates retrieval.
- Elimination of Physical Document Loss: Secure storage and digital access eliminate risk of document loss.