Turkey’s ambition to electronically transform its tax ecosystem required the development and implementation of many products and services. This presented taxpayers with new requirements and, subsequently, new challenges.
Here are the products and services in Turkey’s e-Transformation system:
e-Fatura
e-Fatura is Turkey’s e-invoicing initiative. Mandated for companies with turnovers of over TRY 5 million, this obligation came into effect on 1 April 2014. There are also sector-based parameters for the nation’s e-invoicing mandate, ignoring the turnover threshold, qualifying the following for an electronic invoice obligation:
- Companies licensed by the Turkish Energy Market Regulatory Authority
- Middlemen or merchants trading fruits or vegetables
- Online service providers facilitating online trade
- Importers and dealers
Turkey’s e-invoicing initiative is a clearance model and two-way application, with issued invoices needing to be in the UBL-TR format and archived for 10 years. Sovos’ e-invoice solution enables compliance with e-Fatura requirements.
e-Arşiv Fatura
e-Arşiv Fatura is Turkey’s e-arşiv invoice initiative. Taxpayers registered in the e-Fatura system must also issue e-Arşiv invoices, either in the UBL-TR format or in a free format such as PDF.
Real-time clearance is not conducted for the issuance of these invoices, though an e-Arşiv report must be submitted electronically to the tax authority by the end of the following day. e-Arşiv invoices are always created electronically but must be available in paper form unless the buyer agrees to receive the document electronically.
The Sovos e-Arşiv Invoice solution makes e-archive invoice compliance simple.
e-İrsaliye
e-İrsaliye is Turkey’s e-WayBill initiative. The use of e-İrsaliye documents became obligatory for taxpayers that surpass the TRY 10 million revenue threshold on 1 July 2023, though those outside of the scope can voluntarily switch to electronic WayBill documents.
There are two types of paper waybills, namely shipment and transportation. e-İrsaliye largely replaces the shipment waybill.
Information required in this type of e-document includes:
- Supplier information
- Issue date and document number
- Buyer information
- Type and quantity of the transported goods
- Shipment date and time
Legally, there is no difference between paper waybills and eWayBills, though the electronic version requires both parties to be registered in the national system.
e-Defter
e-Defter is Turkey’s e-Ledger initiative. The Turkish tax authorities made the e-Ledger application mandatory for e-invoice users and taxpayers, subject to independent audit, in 2015.
These e-documents must be prepared in XBRL-GL format and include specific information in standard XML format – all signed with a financial seal. In addition to producing e-ledgers, taxpayers are required to create a ledger summary which is to be sent monthly to the TRA and archived for 10 years.
Electronic ledgers reduce the time it takes to collect data, save costs associated with the notarization process and ensure compliance with tax processes.
e-Mutabakat
e-Mutabakat is Turkey’s e-Reconciliation initiative. Reconciliation is the communication between accounts to mutually agree on the debit and credit between companies that are part of an agreement.
Turkey’s tax authority has ruled that companies are obliged to make reconciliations at particular times. The last day of the year is typically the day when the account between two parties will be closed unless an agreement or legal requirement states otherwise.
The BA-BS web application developed by the TRA for e-Reconciliation enables taxpayers to compare current agreements and unbalanced agreements before electronic submission of the BA-BA forms.
e-Müstahsil Makbuzu
e-Müstahsil Makbuzu is Turkey’s e-Producer Receipt initiative. This commercial e-document is issued by farmers or wholesalers to keep a record of the products they buy from farmers that don’t bookkeep.
Taxpayers that are obliged to issue producer receipts have had to issue electronic versions of the document, known as e-Müstahsil Makbuzu, since 1 July 2020. However, fruit and vegetable brokers or merchants have been required to issue e-Producer Receipts since 1 January 2020.
Those obliged to utilise e-Producer Receipts may be outside of the scope of e-Fatura, e-Arşiv Fatura and e-Defter requirements.
e-Serbest Meslek
e-Serbest Meslek is Turkey’s e-Self-Employed Receipt (e-SMM) initiative. This obligation came into effect on 1 February 2020 and applies to all self-employed individuals, including:
- Architects
- Engineers
- Financial advisors
- Lawyers
- Screenwriters, writers, composers and painters
- Self-employed doctors, dentists and veterinarians
e-SMM receipts can be created, submitted and reported electronically and carry the same legal weight as paper Self-Employment Receipts. They must be archived for 10 years.
While all the above are prominent e-documents, there are even more electronic documents in Turkey that you should know about. To learn more, read our e-documents overview.
