Switzerland is on its e-invoicing journey, having mandated its use for transactions between suppliers and federal government entities since 2016.
That said, electronic invoicing is voluntary for B2B and B2C transactions, though there are different countrywide digitization initiatives by businesses. Bookmark this page to stay on top of what’s to come from Switzerland’s tax authority.
1. How does B2G e-invoicing work in Switzerland?
2. How does B2B e-invoicing work in Switzerland?
3. Considerations for handling B2B e-invoices in Switzerland
4. Format of electronic invoices and documents in Switzerland
5. Timeline of e-invoicing adoption in Switzerland
Switzerland currently requires suppliers to issue electronic invoices when contracting with federal administrations, if the contract’s value exceeds CHF 5,000 (approx. EUR 5,200).
There are two main e-invoicing channels made available to businesses for submitting e-invoices to federal administrations:
Private businesses can choose to issue electronic invoices voluntarily. A few initiatives, such as the QR Bill, encourage businesses to adopt electronic invoicing.
Since June 2020, QR bills replaced the payment slips. The QR bill embeds a Swiss QR code, that contains all relevant information for automated payment in structured form.
The QR code is compatible with e-invoices by complementing the data set with QR reference and QR IBAN in the Payment reference number and IBAN Number fields, respectively.
While Switzerland does not mandate a specific invoice format, swissDIGIN is the recommended e-invoicing format. Other accepted formats include:
Here are the key dates in the country’s electronic invoicing journey so far.
Only transactions from suppliers to the Swiss government are mandated to be invoiced electronically. B2B e-invoicing is currently voluntary in Switzerland.
With the EU’s ViDA initiative close to being enforced, electronic invoices are planned to become mandatory for B2B transactions across Europe—including Switzerland—from January 2026.
Taxpayers must ensure the integrity of the content and authenticity of the origin of e-invoices. The most common method to meet these requirements is to apply an e-signature.
The primary benefit of adopting e-invoicing is complying with Switzerland’s mandate for B2G transactions.
It provides other business benefits, including reducing paper usage and waste, saving costs and manual labour associated with processing, reducing errors by eliminating manual input and enabling integration possibilities for operational efficiency.
E-invoicing isn’t just growing in popularity in Switzerland, it’s on a global rise. As electronic invoicing continues to become mandated, compliance becomes more difficult and as important as ever.
E-invoicing may be a global trend, but it’s fragmented in nature. Countries have their own rules and regulations. That’s why it’s imperative that you choose a single vendor for compliance. Sovos is the solution.
Instead of spending your time ensuring compliance everywhere you do business, let Sovos do the heavy lifting so you can focus on what matters.
