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Compliance questions

All businesses selling goods or services in Colombia. The FEV (Factura Electrónica de Venta) has been mandatory for B2B and B2G invoices since 2020, and since 2024 B2C transactions must be documented with the Documento Equivalente Electrónico, bringing retail and point-of-sale receipts under the electronic system as well.
OASIS UBL 2.1 following the DIAN schema. Colombia operates a clearance model (continuous transaction control): each invoice is digitally signed, submitted to the DIAN, and validated in real time. On validation, the invoice receives a CUFE (Código Único de Factura Electrónica) that makes it legally valid.
No. E-reporting is fully integrated into the FEV clearance flow — an invoice is reported to the tax authority at the moment the DIAN validates it. There are no separate periodic invoice submissions.
A minimum of five years, counted from January 1 of the year following issuance or receipt. The obligation applies to both the issuer and the receiver, and covers the original XML, its digital signature, and the DIAN validation response.
RADIAN is the DIAN registry that turns validated invoices into negotiable instruments. Once the buyer accepts an invoice, it can be registered in RADIAN as a “título valor electrónico”, allowing it to be factored, used as loan collateral, or legally enforced for payment.
Not currently. For B2C transactions you can issue equivalent simplified FEV invoices instead, which are fully supported through the Colombia app.

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Invoicing questions

The DIAN expects a 5-digit municipal code, not a 6-digit postal code, in the co-dian-municipality extension of the supplier and of customers identified by a Colombian NIT. For example, use 11001 for Bogotá.
Through Alegra, an authorized DIAN technology provider. The send workflow signs the GOBL envelope, clears it with the DIAN, stamps the CUFE and QR code, and generates a compliant PDF.
Set $schema to https://gobl.org/draft-0/bill/invoice, the supplier’s tax_id.country to CO, and include the supplier’s DIAN municipality code via the co-dian-municipality extension in its ext. Customers identified by a Colombian NIT need the extension too; foreign customers and simplified B2C invoices don’t (see When is the municipality code required?). See the GOBL Colombia tax regime for the full field reference and examples.
No. The co-dian-municipality extension is only required on customers identified by a Colombian NIT, that is, with tax_id.country set to CO and a tax_id.code. Foreign customers, simplified B2C invoices without a customer, and consumers identified only by a cédula build without it. Invopop can’t derive the code from the NIT, so collect it for each Colombian business customer.
VAT (IVA, 19% standard or 5% reduced), consumption taxes (IC, INC), the industry and commerce tax (ICA), and the retained taxes ReteIVA, ReteICA, and Retefuente. A single invoice may need to combine up to three value added and retained taxes, all supported by the GOBL Colombia tax regime.
Invoices, credit notes, and debit notes. Credit and debit notes reference the corrected invoice in the preceding array; debit notes require every preceding entry to carry the dian-cude stamp of the original invoice.
Only Alegra’s NIT (9005590882) can be the supplier. Invoices use series SETP with codes 990000000–995000000 (shared across users, so avoid common codes) and today’s date in Colombia.
The series, code, and issue date must fall within an active DIAN numbering resolution. Resolutions are refreshed automatically, so a rejection usually means the range isn’t linked to Alegra yet, or it expired or ran out and the supplier needs a new one. See Numbering resolutions.

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Registering supplier questions

The supplier must be registered with the DIAN with an active RUT (Registro Único Tributario), complete the DIAN habilitación, and hold a valid billing numbering range authorization. The supplier registration guide walks through each step.
Upload a GOBL party with the supplier’s name, NIT (with verification digit), and email, then run the registration workflow. It publishes an enablement portal link under registration-link in the entry’s meta; the supplier’s legal representative completes the DIAN enablement there, and the workflow finishes once the DIAN accepts it. See the supplier registration guide.
A one-time DIAN certification required before issuing real invoices. The supplier submits a TestSetId from the DIAN portal through the hosted portal, Alegra sends the test documents, and the supplier is enabled once the DIAN accepts them.
The enablement status only says failed. The DIAN’s reason is in the faults of the registration job: check the entry’s job history in the Console, fetch the job via the API, or receive it in a Send Webhook step in the workflow’s error handling flow. Fix the cause and re-run the registration workflow to start again. See Failed enablement.
Yes, but only Alegra’s NIT (9005590882) can be registered. The enablement is simulated: enter the TestSetId a70562e0-631e-4ceb-aa65-36887b57dc17 for an instant acceptance. Other outcomes are in the sandbox section of the guide.
Yes. Authorizations are valid for 2 years and also end when their numbers run out. Before a range with unused numbers expires, the supplier can extend it (extension request); once it’s used up, they request a new one (new authorization). Updated resolutions are picked up automatically.

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