Aqid ERPStandard tax invoice (B2B): cleared first
Issued to a business. The signed XML goes to ZATCA, which validates it, stamps it and returns it; only the cleared invoice may be shared with the buyer.
ZATCA Phase 2 e-invoicing, live and audit-ready
Under ZATCA's Phase 2, every tax invoice is produced as signed XML: a standard (B2B) invoice is sent to ZATCA for clearance before it reaches the buyer, and a simplified (B2C) invoice is reported within 24 hours. Aqid ERP does both from the invoice you approve, and keeps the books, the XML and ZATCA's answer together.
Clearance and reporting: the two paths
Simplified tax invoice (B2C): reported within 24 hours
Issued to a consumer. It is signed by your device, carries a QR code and is given to the customer at once; the XML is reported to ZATCA within 24 hours.
Credit and debit notes follow the path of the invoice they correct, and always name it and say why they were issued.
Connecting to ZATCA in three steps
Get a one-time code from Fatoora
Sign in to ZATCA's Fatoora portal with your company's account and generate an OTP for each device (a branch, a till, the head office).
Register the device in Aqid ERP
Under Compliance, add the device and enter the OTP. Aqid ERP creates the key and certificate request, and keeps the key in a separate signing service.
Pass the compliance checks and go live
Aqid ERP sends ZATCA's sample documents, receives the production certificate, and from then on every approved invoice is signed and sent.
What Aqid ERP enforces, so an auditor finds nothing to fix
Locked numbering
Numbers are given on approval, in one unbroken sequence per series; a number is never reused or skipped.
No deleting what was issued
An approved invoice cannot be deleted or edited. A mistake is corrected with a credit or debit note, as the rules require.
Notes with a reason and a reference
Every credit and debit note names the invoice it corrects and states why it was issued, in the XML and on the PDF.
The right title, in Arabic and English
Tax invoice, simplified tax invoice, credit note, debit note: the printed title follows the document type and the buyer.
Checked before it is issued
The seller's and buyer's VAT numbers, national addresses and exemption reasons are checked before you press Approve, with where to fix each.
What it looks like
When ZATCA rejects an invoice
ZATCA's answer is kept on the invoice — cleared, reported, accepted with warnings or rejected — with its reasons, and the compliance page counts every invoice rejected, queued or being retried. A rejected invoice is the one case where an issued Saudi invoice goes back to draft: you correct it and send it again under the same number, so the sequence continues unbroken. A send that fails for a network reason is retried on its own.
Every XML, archived and exportable
The signed XML, ZATCA's cleared copy and its answer are kept with the PDF for every invoice. Export a month or a year as one archive, with an index and a SHA-256 for every file, for an auditor or a ZATCA request. Saudi law asks for tax records to be kept for at least six years.
Included in every plan
ZATCA e-invoicing is part of every Aqid ERP plan, with no per-invoice fee. The 60-day trial needs no card. See the prices
ZATCA e-invoicing questions
What is ZATCA Phase 2 e-invoicing?
Phase 2, the integration phase, connects your invoicing system to ZATCA's Fatoora platform. Since 1 January 2023, businesses called up in waves must produce each tax invoice as signed UBL 2.1 XML, have standard invoices cleared before sharing them, and report simplified invoices within 24 hours.
What is the difference between clearance and reporting?
Clearance applies to standard (B2B) tax invoices: ZATCA validates and stamps the invoice before it may be given to the buyer. Reporting applies to simplified (B2C) invoices: the seller gives the invoice at once and sends the XML to ZATCA within 24 hours.
When does my business have to comply with Phase 2?
When ZATCA calls it up in a wave, based on VAT-taxable revenue in set years; ZATCA notifies each business at least six months ahead. The twenty-fifth wave covers revenue above SAR 187,500. Our wave checker shows which wave your revenue falls in.
Can I delete or edit an invoice after it is issued?
No. ZATCA's rules forbid an e-invoicing solution from letting an issued invoice be deleted or changed. A mistake is corrected with a credit or debit note that names the original invoice and says why; Aqid ERP enforces this on every document.
What is a cryptographic stamp, and who holds the key?
Each device signs its invoices with a private key whose certificate ZATCA issues during onboarding. In Aqid ERP the key is generated and kept in a separate signing service, never in the main application or its database, and each device has its own.
What happens if ZATCA is unavailable?
The invoice is issued and queued, and sent again automatically until ZATCA answers. A simplified invoice still has its 24-hour reporting window; a standard invoice is shared with the buyer only once it is cleared. The compliance page shows how many are waiting or being retried.
What should I do when ZATCA rejects an invoice?
Open the invoice: Aqid ERP shows ZATCA's reasons on it. A rejected invoice is the one issued Saudi invoice that may go back to draft, so correct the cause — a VAT number, an address, an exemption reason — and approve it again. It keeps its number, so the sequence stays unbroken.
Do simplified invoices need a QR code?
Yes. A simplified tax invoice carries a QR code with the seller's name, VAT number, time, totals and, in Phase 2, the invoice hash, the signature and the public key. On a standard invoice ZATCA adds the QR when it clears it.
How long must e-invoices be kept?
Saudi tax law requires invoices and records to be kept for at least six years, longer for some records. Aqid ERP keeps each invoice's signed XML, ZATCA's answer and the PDF, and exports any period as one archive with a hash for every file.
Does Aqid ERP charge per invoice sent to ZATCA?
No. Clearance and reporting are included in every plan, however many invoices you issue: the monthly price is the same for ten invoices sent to ZATCA as for ten thousand. You can try the whole product, ZATCA connection included, free for the trial period without a card.
ZATCA's own documents
Every rule on this page is from ZATCA's published documents, checked on 29 October 2026. Where a rule and this page differ, ZATCA's document applies.