Detailing the 08 Mandatory Contents Required on Electronic Invoices

1. Invoice Name, Invoice Serial Number, Invoice Template Code, Invoice Number

1.1. Invoice Name

The invoice name is the name of each type of invoice displayed on invoices as stipulated in Article 5 of Decree 119/2018/ND-CP such as: value-added tax invoice, sales invoice, and other types of invoices (electronic stamps, electronic tickets, electronic cards, electronic receipts, electronic delivery notes cum electronic transportation documents, or other electronic documents).

1.2. Invoice Template Code

It is a character with 01 natural number (from number 1 to number 4) to reflect the types of invoices:

- Number 1: Value-added tax invoice.- Number 2: Sales invoice.- Number 3: Delivery note cum electronic transportation document.- Number 4: Other types of invoices such as electronic stamps, electronic tickets, electronic cards, electronic receipts, etc.

1.3. Invoice Serial Number

It is a symbol consisting of a group of 06 characters including letters and numbers to represent the invoice serial number, reflecting details such as whether the invoice has a code or not from the tax authority, the issuance year, and the type of invoice used. The 06-character invoice serial number is defined as follows:

- The first character is 01 letter (C or K), where C represents an invoice with a tax authority code. K represents an invoice without a tax authority code.- The next two characters are 02 Arabic numerals (determined according to the last 02 digits of the Gregorian calendar year) representing the year the invoice is issued. For example, if the invoice is issued in 2019, the two numerals displayed on the invoice are 19.- The 4th character is a letter representing the type of electronic invoice used with the tax authority, specified as T, D, L, or M:

+ T: Applicable to electronic invoices used by businesses, organizations, and individual households.+ D: Applicable to special electronic invoices not necessarily containing certain elements as registered by enterprises and organizations.+ L: Applicable to electronic invoices issued by the tax authority on a case-by-case basis.+ M: Applicable to electronic invoices generated from cash registers.

- The last two letters are determined by the seller based on management needs (if no management needs, it can be YY).

- Note: the invoice template code and the invoice serial number must be displayed on the right side of the invoice (or in a prominent position).

1.4. Invoice Number

It is the number shown in Arabic numerals with a maximum of 08 digits, starting from number 01 (January 1) or the day of first use and ending on December 31 each year (with a maximum of 99,999,999). The invoice number must be sequential from small to large within the same invoice serial number and invoice template code.

If the invoice number is not sequential, the invoice must ensure it increases over time. Each invoice number can only be issued and used once, with a maximum of 08 digits.

2. Name, Address, Tax Identification Number of the Seller

Each invoice must correctly display the name, address, and tax identification number of the seller as recorded on the enterprise registration certificate, branch operation registration, individual household business registration, taxpayer registration, tax identification notification, and investment registration certificate.

If the buyer is a business with a tax identification number: Similar to the seller, the buyer's name, address, and tax identification number on the invoice must match those on the enterprise registration certificate, branch operation registration, individual household business registration, taxpayer registration, tax identification notification, and investment registration certificate.

If there is no tax identification number, the invoice does not need to display the buyer's tax identification number. According to Clause 3, Article 3 of Circular 68/2019/TT-BTC, in some cases, the name and address of the buyer may not need to be displayed. In cases where goods and services are sold to foreigners coming to Vietnam, the buyer's address information can be replaced with their passport/immigration document or nationality.

Illustration (Source: Internet)

3. Name, Unit of Measure, Quantity, Unit Price of Goods, and Services

3.1. Name of Goods and Services on the Invoice: Recorded in Vietnamese

In cases of selling goods with various types, the goods must be detailed by each type (e.g., Samsung, Nokia phones, etc.). If legal registration requires distinctive numbers or symbols for goods (chassis number, engine number of cars, motorbikes, length, width of houses, etc.), these must be displayed for goods that require registration of use rights or ownership.

For specific goods and services such as electricity, water, telecommunications services, television services, IT services, insurance, the invoice must specify the supply period of goods or services.

If it is necessary to record foreign language characters, the foreign language must be placed to the right in parentheses ( ) or directly below the Vietnamese line and must be smaller in size than the Vietnamese text. If goods or services are transacted with a code specification, the invoice must record both the name and code of the goods or services.

3.2. Unit of Measure

The seller must determine the name of the unit of measure for goods displayed on the invoice based on the nature and characteristics of the goods (e.g., tons, quintals, hundredweights, kg, g, mg, or ounces, grams, items, animals, pieces, boxes, cans, barrels, bags, packages, tubes, cubic meters, square meters, etc.). For services, the unit of measure is determined by each service provision event and the content of the provided services.

3.3. Quantity of Goods and Services

The seller records the quantity in Arabic numerals according to the unit of measure.

3.4. Unit Price of Goods and Services

The seller records the unit price of goods and services according to the unit of measure. Specifically:

- The value-added tax rate is the VAT rate corresponding to each type of goods and services as per legal regulations on value-added tax.- The total amount before VAT, the total VAT amount by each tax rate, and the total VAT amount must be recorded in Vietnamese Dong in Arabic numerals (except for sales in foreign currency not converted to Vietnamese Dong, where the total payment is expressed in the original currency and in foreign characters).

4. Digital Signature, Electronic Signature of the Seller and Buyer

If the seller is an enterprise or organization, the digital signature on the invoice is the digital signature of the enterprise or organization; if the seller is an individual, the individual’s digital signature or an authorized person's digital signature can be used.

If the buyer is a business entity and both buyer and seller agree that the buyer meets the technical conditions to digitally sign the electronic invoice prepared by the seller, then the buyer will apply their digital signature to the electronic invoice.

In cases where the electronic invoice does not necessarily have to have the seller or buyer's digital signature, this is regulated in Clause 3, Article 3 of Circular 68/2019/TT-BTC.

5. Time of Issuance of Electronic Invoice

The time of issuance of the electronic invoice is determined by the time the seller digitally signs the invoice, displayed in the format date, month, year (e.g., April 30, 2019), and complies with the guidance in Article 4 of Circular 68/2019/TT-BTC.

6. Tax Authority Code for electronic invoices with the tax authority code as stipulated in Clause 5, Article 3 of Decree 119/2018/ND-CP.

7. Mandatory Fees, Levies, commercial discounts, promotions (if any) as guided in Point d.3 Clause 1 Article 3 of Circular 68/2019/TT-BTC and other related contents (if any).

8. Text, Numbers, and Currency Used

8.1. Text

Text displayed on the invoice is in Vietnamese. If it is necessary to include foreign language characters, the foreign language must be placed to the right in parentheses ( ) or directly below the Vietnamese line, and must be smaller in size than the Vietnamese text. If the text on the invoice is in Vietnamese without accents, it should ensure that it does not lead to misinterpretation of the invoice content.

8.2. Numbers

Numbers displayed on the invoice are Arabic numerals: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. The seller can choose: after every thousand, million, billion, trillion, quadrillion, quintillion must be a dot (.), if there are digits after the unit number it must be separated by a comma (,), or use a comma (,) for separating natural numbers and a dot (.) after the unit digit in accounting documents.

8.3. Currency

In cases of economic and financial transactions in foreign currency as prescribed by foreign exchange regulations, the unit price, total amount, total VAT amount by each tax rate, and total payment amount must be recorded in the original currency. The seller must also display the conversion exchange rate with Vietnamese Dong according to the regulation of the Law on Tax Administration and guiding documents.

- Currency codes as per international standards (e.g., 13,800.25 USD – Thirteen thousand eight hundred U.S. dollars and twenty-five cents, e.g., 5,000 EUR – Five thousand euros).

- In cases where selling goods involves foreign currency transactions as per foreign exchange regulations and taxes are payable in foreign currency, the total payment displayed on the invoice must be in the original currency without conversion to Vietnamese Dong.

More details can be found in Circular 68/2019/TT-BTC effective from November 14, 2019.

Ngoc Duy

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