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Finland's e-invoicing regulation timeline

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Executive summary

Finland has no government clearance platform and no e-reporting. The Act on Electronic Invoicing by Contracting Entities and Traders (Act 241/2019) implements EU Directive 2014/55/EU and sets two rules. B2G reception: public contracting entities must receive and process e-invoices. Central government has done so since 1 April 2019, and all other contracting entities since 1 April 2020. Since 1 April 2021, the state receives only invoices that follow the European standard EN 16931. Paper invoices and PDFs sent by email are not e-invoices. Right to request an e-invoice (B2B): since 1 April 2020, a public buyer or a business can ask another one for its invoices as e-invoices. The rule covers businesses with an annual turnover above EUR 10,000, on both sides. There is no B2B transmission mandate. There is no B2C e-invoicing mandate. E-invoices travel on two networks that run side by side:
  • The domestic operator network: Finnish e-invoice operators and banks exchange invoices as Finvoice 3.0 or TEAPPSXML 3.0. The national e-invoice address register lists about 370,000 Business IDs.
  • Peppol: Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 (UBL 2.1), supervised by the Finnish State Treasury (Valtiokonttori) as the national Peppol Authority.
Finland applies VAT (ALV) at 25.5%, with reduced rates of 13.5% and 10%. The EU’s VAT in the Digital Age (ViDA) directive brings digital reporting for intra-EU supplies from 1 July 2030.

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Invoicing in Finland

The sender’s service provider delivers each invoice to the receiver’s service provider. On the domestic network, the sender needs the receiver’s e-invoice address and operator ID. On Peppol, the sender needs the receiver’s Peppol ID. The national register at verkkolaskuosoite.fi lists both, so one lookup shows how a receiver is reachable. Invopop covers both networks. The Finland app sends on the domestic network through Invopop’s partner operator. The Peppol app sends on Peppol. The diagram below shows an invoice on the domestic network:
1

Invoice creation

The supplier’s system sends the invoice to Invopop as a GOBL document.
2

Check the buyer

Invopop asks the operator how it would reach the buyer. Invopop refuses the invoice if the buyer cannot get a true e-invoice, for example if the operator would print it on paper.
3

Submit to the operator

Invopop generates an EN 16931 e-invoice and submits it to the operator. The operator validates it against the European standard.
4

Deliver between operators

The operator sends the invoice to the buyer’s operator or bank, in the format that operator uses.
5

Buyer receives

The buyer gets the invoice as Finvoice or TEAPPSXML in its financial system.
6

Buyers reachable only on Peppol

If the buyer is only on Peppol, the operator cannot reach it, and Invopop returns an error. Invoice those buyers through the Peppol app.
Under Act 241/2019, public contracting entities must receive and process e-invoices. Central government has done so since 1 April 2019, and all other contracting entities since 1 April 2020. Since 1 April 2021, the state receives only invoices that follow EN 16931. Operators validate invoices against the standard and reject the ones that fail.The state accepts EN 16931 content in Finvoice 3.0, TEAPPSXML 3.0, Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 (UBL 2.1) or CII. Suppliers reach government agencies through the domestic network, where the state e-invoice operator is Posti Messaging, or on Peppol. Finland has no central invoice hub. The state does not accept invoices attached to an email.Government agencies ask for their own references in the invoice XML. These are an order number that starts with V1, an agreement number that starts with VSK1 and a posting reference that starts with TK1. Peppol ordering has applied to central government purchases since 1 April 2024.
Finland has no B2B e-invoicing transmission mandate. In 2026, the State Treasury consulted on options for a wider e-invoicing obligation and sent the results to the ministries. No bill exists yet.
Section 4 of Act 241/2019 lets a public buyer or a business get its invoices as e-invoices, on request, from another one. The act defines a business as one with an annual turnover above EUR 10,000. The rule applies to both sides, so a supplier at or below that turnover does not have to issue an e-invoice on request. The right does not apply to private persons.
Invopop reaches buyers on this network through the Finland app. The app sends through Invopop’s partner operator, which delivers in the format the buyer’s operator expects.
Most Finnish e-invoices travel on a network of e-invoice operators and banks. Each company contracts with one operator or bank. The operators then exchange invoices with each other. The operators and banks own the national e-invoice address register (Verkkolaskuosoitteisto, at verkkolaskuosoite.fi), and TIEKE, the Finnish Information Society Development Centre, maintains it. In 2025, the register listed about 370,000 Business IDs, and operators carried 353.2 million invoices.A domestic address has two parts. The e-invoice address is usually an OVT code: 0037, the 8-digit Business ID without the hyphen, and an optional suffix of up to 5 characters. The operator ID names the operator or bank that receives for the company, as an OVT code or a bank BIC. A sender needs both.Finvoice is the format of the Finnish banks, published by Finance Finland (Finanssiala). Banks also use it for consumer e-invoices to online banking. TEAPPSXML is an operator format owned by Tieto. Version 3.0 of both formats can carry EN 16931 content.
Peppol is the second network in Finland. It is used for invoices to public bodies, for cross-border invoices, and between businesses that are on Peppol. The Finnish State Treasury (Valtiokonttori) has been the national Peppol Authority since 2022. It supervises the Peppol service providers that serve Finnish organisations and runs the national Peppol address directory. The directory is part of verkkolaskuosoite.fi, and all Finnish public sector organisations must be in it. Most Finnish e-invoice operators are also Peppol service providers.Finnish organisations must use their OVT code as their Peppol ID, with the scheme 0216, for example 0216:003712345678. The older Finnish schemes 0037, 0212, 0213 and 0215 were removed from Peppol at the end of 2024.

Peppol

Connect the app to send invoices to Finnish receivers on Peppol →

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E-reporting

Finland has no real-time or periodic e-reporting of invoice data. Businesses declare VAT in the periodic VAT return to the Finnish Tax Administration (Verohallinto). The EU’s ViDA directive brings digital reporting for intra-EU supplies from 1 July 2030. Finland has not published its national rules for it yet.

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Regulation

Finnish invoice content rules are in Chapter 22 of the VAT Act (Arvonlisäverolaki, 1501/1993), which implements the EU VAT Directive.Full invoice
  • Date of issue and a unique sequential number.
  • Supplier’s VAT number (or Business ID), name and address.
  • Buyer’s name and address. For intra-EU B2B supplies and reverse charge, the buyer’s VAT number too.
  • Quantity and nature of the goods, or the nature of the services.
  • Date of supply, if different from the invoice date.
  • Taxable amount per VAT rate, the unit price excluding VAT, and any discounts.
  • VAT rate and VAT amount in euros.
  • For reverse charge, exempt or zero-rated supplies: a reference to the provision or the phrase that applies.
Simplified invoiceA simplified invoice is allowed when the total is EUR 400 or less, and for retail and similar sales to private persons. It is not allowed for intra-EU supplies of goods, distance sales or reverse charge supplies. It shows the date of issue, the supplier’s name and VAT number, the goods or services, and the VAT per rate. A correction must refer to the original invoice.A self-billed invoice is allowed if the supplier and buyer agree, and the supplier can approve each invoice.
Finland applies EU VAT rules under the VAT Act, administered by Verohallinto.
Finland has no state licence for e-invoice operators. The operators coordinate in the e-invoice forum that TIEKE runs. Peppol service providers that serve Finnish organisations follow the requirements of the Finnish Peppol Authority. These include a check that the customer’s Business ID is in the national business register.No qualified electronic signature is required on an invoice. The supplier and the buyer can choose any control process that gives a reliable audit trail between the invoice and the supply. The invoice must stay authentic, complete and readable for the whole retention period.
The Accounting Act (Kirjanpitolaki, 1336/1997) sets the retention periods. Invoices and other vouchers must be kept for at least 6 years from the end of the year in which the financial year ended. Financial statements and ledgers must be kept for at least 10 years from the end of the financial year. The VAT Act asks for invoices to be available to the Tax Administration without undue delay. Invoices about investments in real estate must be kept for 13 years.
Act 241/2019 has no penalty clause. A business can fail to issue invoices, or fail to put the required information on them, after a request from Verohallinto. The Tax Administration can then impose a penalty charge for negligence of up to EUR 5,000.

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FAQ

Compliance questions Finland
For public buyers, yes. Under Act 241/2019, central government has received e-invoices since 1 April 2019, and all other contracting entities since 1 April 2020. Since 1 April 2021, the state receives only invoices that follow EN 16931. Between businesses there is no transmission mandate, but a business can ask its supplier for e-invoices. There is no B2C mandate.
Since 1 April 2020, a public buyer or a business can ask another public buyer or business for its invoices as e-invoices. The act defines a business as one with an annual turnover above EUR 10,000. The rule applies to both sides, so a supplier at or below that turnover does not have to issue an e-invoice on request. The right does not apply to private persons.
Its OVT code with the scheme 0216, for example 0216:003712345678. The OVT code is 0037, the 8-digit Business ID without the hyphen, and an optional suffix of up to 5 characters. The Finnish Peppol Authority allows no other scheme for Finnish organisations.
The general rate is 25.5%. The reduced rate of 13.5% applies to food, restaurant services, books, medicines, passenger transport, accommodation and events, since 1 January 2026. The reduced rate of 10% applies to newspapers and magazines. Intra-EU supplies of goods to VAT-registered buyers and exports are zero-rated.
The Accounting Act (Kirjanpitolaki, 1336/1997) sets the periods. Invoices and other vouchers must be kept for at least 6 years from the end of the year in which the financial year ended. Financial statements must be kept for at least 10 years. Invoices must stay authentic, complete and readable for the whole period. Invoices about investments in real estate must be kept for 13 years.
No. The supplier and the buyer can choose any control process that gives a reliable audit trail between the invoice and the supply.
Finvoice
Finvoice is the Finnish XML e-invoicing format, published by Finance Finland (Finanssiala), the association of Finnish banks. Version 3.0 can carry EN 16931 content, and it is a main format on Finland’s domestic operator network. You do not produce Finvoice documents yourself. Send a GOBL invoice, and the receiver gets it in the format its operator expects.
TEAPPSXML is the other national e-invoice format, owned by Tieto and used between operators. To reach a company on the domestic network, you need two values from the national register at verkkolaskuosoite.fi. The e-invoice address is usually the company’s OVT code. The operator ID names the operator or bank that receives for the company.
Yes, each network has its own app. Finland runs two e-invoicing networks side by side. The domestic operator network carries most invoices, and its address register lists about 370,000 Business IDs. Peppol is the second network. The Finland app delivers on the domestic network, and the Peppol app on Peppol. To see which app a receiver needs, look them up at verkkolaskuosoite.fi, which lists addresses on both networks.
Peppol
Mandatory dates vary by country. Belgium requires structured B2B e-invoicing — Peppol BIS by default — from January 2026. Germany is phasing in B2B e-invoicing between 2025 and 2028. France’s Factur-X via Peppol applies once the PA reform takes effect. Outside mandates, Peppol delivery is voluntary but increasingly expected for B2G and cross-border trade.
Yes. Every document exchanged on Peppol BIS uses a UBL or CII syntax that conforms to the EN16931 European e-invoicing standard, plus the relevant Peppol BIS specification. Invopop generates compliant XML automatically when you use the Peppol app.
Peppol is a federated network — anyone could otherwise register a Participant ID for a company they don’t represent. Proof of ownership ties the Participant ID to a verifiable contact at the company, which is what allows the registration to be published on the SML.
Requirements vary by Authority. In Belgium, for example, the supplier must provide a recent extract from the Banque-Carrefour des Entreprises (KBO/BCE) plus a signed mandate. Invopop walks the registering party through the local requirements during the registration wizard.
Yes — a Peppol BIS document delivered through a certified Access Point is treated as the legal e-invoice in any country that recognises Peppol. The signed UBL or CII XML is the authoritative record; archive it alongside any human-readable rendering you generate.
Retention is set by each country’s tax authority — typically 7 to 10 years in the EU. Invopop preserves the original XML and any generated PDF in the silo entry so you can satisfy local archival requirements wherever you operate.
More available in our Finland FAQ section

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