Background

The Taiwan Ministry of Finance and the related National Taxation Administration are institutions leading the digitalization and implementation of e-invoicing obligations in Taiwan. The invoicing system in Taiwan is based on the usage of Government Uniform Invoices. These are specific to the state and type of invoices available and can be used in different formats, depending on the residence of the supplier/purchaser, type of business activity, annual turnover, and so forth. In 2018 the Taiwanese Government started the gradual, mandatory introduction of the so-called Electronic Government Uniform Invoices (eGUIs).

The E-Invoicing system in Taiwan is based on the real-time reporting of the eGUIs. The eGUIs have replaced paper-based scanned invoices in some circumstances. Non-resident entities performing cross-border supplies should be obliged to issue eGUIs to the end consumer and to report the sales transaction to the Electronic Platform of the Ministry of Finance, following the mandatory format and strict deadlines for transmission of sales data.

Before the foreign supplier of digital services can issue cloud-based eGUI’s, it should be mandatory to be registered with the MoF portal and receive a range of eGUI’s serial numbers, which will be allocated as a prescribed unique number on each document issued. The supplier should ask for a range of numbers on a bi-monthly basis (the tax reporting period timeframe).

An eGUI should comply with MIG 3.2.1 based on an XML format provided by the tax authority.

The foreign supplier of digital services to Taiwanese end consumers should report the sales data of the cloud-based eGUI within 48 working hours of the transaction.

Domestic suppliers or foreign suppliers with a physical presence in Taiwan performing B2B transactions should report eGUI to the Platform of the Ministry of Finance within 7 days of the transaction.

What Types of Businesses Does This Apply to?

• Cross-border foreign suppliers of digital services to end consumers
• Voluntary for domestic and non-resident taxable persons with physical presence at the Taiwanese territory

Governmental Body Responsible for E-invoicing in Taiwan

Ministry of Finance and related National Taxation Bureau

Penalties for Not Adhering to Taiwan's E-invoice Mandates

Non-compliance with invoicing regulations will trigger a fine between NT$3,000 and NT$30,000 and 1% of the sales amount on the uniform invoice.

What does the e-invoicing process in Taiwan look like?

1. The taxable person should first register himself on the specifically designated eTax portal of the Ministry of Finance to obtain a range of serial numbers for eGUI’s
2. eGUIs are to be created along side of the invoice or receipt
3. eGUIs are to be Reported to the Government E-Invoicing Platform within 48 hours
4. The non-resident suppliers of Digital Services should integrate with some of the certified Taiwanese solution providers as they cannot integrate directly with the Government E-Invoicing Platform.
5. Local Taiwanese businesses can also leverage the services of external solution providers from Taiwan, these accredited solution providers act as an intermediary between Taxpayers and the E-Invoicing platform. Otherwise they can report eGUIs manually via the Turnkey method.

Is SAF-T Needed in Taiwan?

No.

E-Invoicing & Global Tax Automation with Fonoa

One way to comply with Digital Reporting Requirements in Taiwan is to use a provider like Fonoa.

With Fonoa you can:

• Have one integration for your global needs, including Taiwan
• Save time and money by automatically cleaning your data to minimize errors and manual work
• Utilize our validation mechanisms to ensure reporting accuracy, data completeness, full control, and compliance
• Rest assured that transactions are successfully reported or queued for internal investigation with our retry mechanisms
• Get full visibility with our dashboards by filtering criteria, analyzing granular transaction data, and quickly importing /exporting information