Key takeaways

A country-by-country approach does not scale 

When mandates arrive in quick succession, teams that lack a standardized process face mounting pressure across tax, engineering, legal, and customer service. Booking.com experienced this firsthand and used it as evidence to build the case for a different approach before the problem became unmanageable.

Centralizing tax data is foundational 

Tax-relevant data at Booking.com was spread across transaction systems, financial systems, and other sources. Bringing that data into one place was a prerequisite for any scalable solution and positioned the tax team as a frontrunner for broader data centralization efforts across the company.

Buy versus build still requires significant internal work 

Choosing an external partner does not eliminate the need for internal investment. Booking.com had to orchestrate data, build API integrations, and align teams around a new way of working. The advantage was that the integration only had to be done once, with minimal customization needed per country.

Cross-functional ownership makes or breaks implementation

E-invoicing is not just a tax problem. It touches product, engineering, finance, legal, customer service, and risk. Booking.com found that having a dedicated program manager and treating compliance as a shared business priority was essential to getting implementations across the line.

The right partner brings flexibility alongside coverage 

Country coverage and technical capability matter, but so does the working relationship. Booking.com looked for a partner who could adapt their roadmap when needed and collaborate closely on complex, evolving mandates.

Watch the webinar If you are managing e-invoicing across multiple markets, building a business case for tax technology, or evaluating whether to build or buy, this conversation offers a practical look at how one of the world's largest travel platforms approached the same challenge.