An e-invoice in Saudi Arabia or Egypt is an invoice issued from an electronic system in a structured format, which reaches or is approved by the tax authority. Your company must confirm whether it is covered, use a compliant solution connected to the official platform, keep its invoices, and correct mistakes through notes instead of deleting or editing invoices.
We checked the sources on 4 November 2026. This is a general explanation and not tax or legal advice. Decisions keep coming, so confirm your company's position with your accountant and the official authority before acting.
A quick comparison of Saudi Arabia and Egypt
| Item | Saudi Arabia | Egypt |
|---|---|---|
| Authority and platform | Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA), the Fatoora platform | Egyptian Tax Authority (ETA), the e-invoicing system |
| Who is covered | The generation phase covers all taxpayers except non-residents, with integration in waves | VAT-registered companies, in phases, according to a specialist guide |
| B2B sales | The platform clears the tax invoice before it goes to the customer | The authority validates the invoice and gives an acceptance code, per the same source |
| Consumer sales | Simplified invoices are reported within 24 hours of issue | An e-receipt sent within 24 hours, for taxpayers named in decisions |
| Format | XML, or PDF/A-3 with embedded XML, depending on use | XML or JSON |
| Security and signing | A cryptographic stamp and QR code | A digital signature through a USB token or HSM, and a UUID |
What Saudi Arabia requires
The generation phase began on 4 December 2021 and the integration phase on 1 January 2023. The second phase brings companies in by waves based on revenue. The latest wave we found at the time of review is Wave 25, covering taxpayers whose VAT-subject revenue exceeded SAR 187,500 in any year from 2022 to 2025, integrating by 1 February 2027. ZATCA announced it on 24 July 2026. ZATCA notifies those targeted, so watch for its notices.
The detailed guideline published by ZATCA sets out these practical points:
- The tax invoice, usually for B2B sales, is cleared by the platform first and only then shared with the customer.
- The simplified tax invoice, usually for consumer sales, is reported to the platform within 24 hours of issue.
- Cancelling an invoice means issuing a credit note and reissuing, with no deleting or editing.
- Arabic is required in the readable version, and another language can be added.
- Prohibited functions in the solution include anonymous access, default passwords, editing or deleting issued invoices, changing the system time and resetting the invoice counter.
- Storage can be on a server or in the cloud as requirements allow, with invoices available to ZATCA. The FAQ refers the retention period to the VAT implementing regulations.
This guideline dates from May 2023, so check the latest version on ZATCA's site before you implement anything.
What Egypt requires
The B2B e-invoicing system has run for years. The Edicom specialist guide says it reached all VAT-registered companies in April 2023, and that an invoice needs a digital signature and a unique identifier. The authority publishes API documentation for ERP and point-of-sale systems for anyone connecting directly.
The e-receipt for consumer sales applies to taxpayers named in successive lists. Comarch reported that Decision 281 of 2025 required taxpayers in its annex to issue e-receipts from 15 September 2025, and further decisions followed. So do not rely on a general revenue threshold. Look up your registration number in the authority's inquiry service or ask your accountant.
Eight steps to prepare your company
- Define your position. Where you sell, if you are VAT-registered, and if you sell to businesses, consumers or both.
- Confirm the obligation and date from official notices, and not from a software vendor's ad.
- List every invoice source. Accounting, point of sale, online store, branches and anything written by hand.
- Clean your data. Customer tax numbers, item codes and tax rates per item, since many rejections start here.
- Choose the right route. Changing your current system, a ready product, or an integration provider. Our guide to choosing accounting software shows how to assess products.
- Test in the sandbox. An invoice, credit note, debit note, return, discount and foreign currency if relevant.
- Train the team on rejections, who corrects them and how quickly.
- Decide how you archive and back up, and test retrieving an old invoice.
Questions for your software vendor
| Question | What to look for in the answer |
|---|---|
| Can you issue an invoice in front of me that reaches the platform? | A live test, and no slide decks |
| What happens if the platform rejects an invoice? | A clear error message and a defined way to correct it |
| What happens if the internet or the platform goes down? | A clear plan that respects official deadlines |
| Who pays to update the software when requirements change? | A written answer in the contract |
| Do you cover our branches, point of sale and store? | Working connections to the systems on your list |
| How do I export my data if I leave? | Invoice export in the original formats |
What companies usually miss
- Old manual invoicing. An employee or branch keeps writing invoices outside the system.
- Deleting wrong invoices. Corrections go through notes, and everyone using the software must know this.
- Partial integration. Point of sale works while the online store sits outside the system.
- Late review. Leaving tests for the last week gives you little time to fix data.
If your reports still run late after all this, the problem may be the data itself. Our article on the financial reports that help an owner decide shows what should come out of the system.
Your next step
Sit with your accountant today, answer step one, check your own deadline with the official authority, and write down every invoice source. If you run bespoke systems that must connect to the platform, PlanKit's accounting systems team can review them with you.