Switzerland to roll out e-invoicing in the Administration in 2016

The aim of this measure is to streamline admin processes in the business-to-government (B2G) area and minimise the use of paper.

Although the Federal Government has been technically ready to receive electronic billing since 2012, the use of this model is not yet widespread. The vast majority of invoices reaching the Administration are on paper and, in many cases, subsequently have to be digitised. In fact, according to the official communiqué, at this time only 14 % of bills are sent electronically.

The Swiss governments decision comes at a time when more than thirty countries around the world are immersed in the rollout of electronic invoicing. However, unlike other European and Latin American states, in Switzerland it is not proposed as an instrument to combat tax evasion. So, they have established a more open model, leaving out small businesses for the moment.

To issue electronic invoicing, the Administration allows different types of solutions. Ranging from the possibility of a direct link to the administration that enables the issuing an integration of data from your own ERP, to the deployment of web platforms to manually download lost data deemed necessary by the Federal Government for the construction of an invoice.