What are regulations on handling issues of the tax authority’s authentication code issuing system in Vietnam?

What are regulations on handling issues of the tax authority’s authentication code issuing system in Vietnam?

According to Clause 3, Article 20 of Decree 123/2020/ND-CP, specific provisions are in place for handling issues related to authenticated e-invoices as follows:

Handling issues related to authenticated e-invoices

2. In the event of a problem with the tax authority’s code issuing system, the General Department of Taxation will implement technical solutions to switch to a backup system and is responsible for announcing these issues on the e-portal of the General Department of Taxation. The General Department of Taxation will select certain service providers of e-invoices that meet the necessary conditions to authorize the issuance of e-invoice codes in case the tax authority’s system encounters an issue.

In the event the issue at the tax authority has not been fixed, the tax authority will opt to sell pre-printed invoices for use by certain organizations and individuals. After the issue with the tax authority’s code issuing system is resolved, the tax authority will notify organizations and individuals to resume using authenticated e-invoice. No later than 02 working days from the date specified in the tax authority’s notification, organizations and individuals must submit a report on the use of paper invoices purchased from the tax authority according to Form No. BC26/HDG in Appendix IA issued along with this Decree.

Thus, when the tax authority’s code issuing system faces a problem, the General Department of Taxation will apply technical solutions to switch to a backup system and announce the incident on its e-portal. Additionally, the General Department of Taxation will select certain qualified e-invoice service providers to authorize the issuance of invoice codes during the system’s outage.

If the issue is not resolved, the tax authority will provide pre-printed invoices for temporary use by certain organizations and individuals. After the tax authority’s code issuing system is reretained, the tax authority will notify organizations and individuals to return to using e-invoices with codes. Within 02 working days from the time of notification, organizations and individuals must report on the use of paper invoices purchased according to Form No. BC26/HDG in Appendix IA attached to Decree 123/2020/ND-CP.

What are regulations on handling issues of the tax authority’s authentication code issuing system in Vietnam? (Image from Internet)

What are regulations on retention of e-invoices in Vietnam?

Based on Clause 2, Article 6 of Decree 123/2020/ND-CP, the methods for storing e-invoices are stipulated as follows:

Storage and retention of Invoices and Documents

1. Invoices and documents are stored and retained to ensure:

a) Safety, security, integrity, completeness, and prevention of changes or distortions throughout the retention period;

b) retention is conducted correctly and for the full duration as per accounting law regulations.

2. e-invoices and e-documents are stored and retained by e-means. Agencies, organizations, and individuals have the right to choose and apply methods for preserving and storing e-invoices and documents in a manner suitable to their specific operations and technological capabilities. e-invoices and documents must be ready to be printed or accessed upon request.

3. Printed invoices by the tax authority, self-printed documents, must be stored and retained as follows:

a) Unissued invoices and documents must be retained and stored in warehouses according to the policy on storing and preserving valuable documents.

b) Issued invoices and documents in accounting units must be retained according to the regulations on storing and preserving accounting documents.

c) Issued invoices and documents in organizations, households, and individuals not being accounting units must be retained and stored as their personal assets.

Thus, according to the above regulations, e-invoices are retained by e-means.

What are responsibilities of sellers using authenticated e-invoice in Vietnam?

According to Article 21 of Decree 123/2020/ND-CP, responsibilities of sellers using authenticated e-invoice are specified as follows:

- Manage the username and password of accounts issued by the tax authority.

- Create e-invoices for the sale of goods and provision of services to send to the tax authority for code issuance and bear legal responsibility for the legality and accuracy of the e-invoices.

- Send authenticated e-invoice to buyers immediately upon receipt of authenticated e-invoice.