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Standards & Format

Archiving: who holds your invoices, and for how long

The question we ask clients that most cannot answer is simple: if the Federal Tax Authority asked for every invoice you issued in a given quarter, how long would it take you to produce them, and in what form? Structured invoicing makes that question easier to answer well and easier to answer badly.

Structured XML, not PDFPINT AE specificationPeppol networkFTA as fifth corner
All 7
Emirates covered equally
Free zone
In scope like mainland
Non-VAT
Businesses can be in scope
Exclusions
Specific and narrow
What matters

The parts that matter

If you take four things away from this page, make them these.

1Retrievable is the operative word

Having data somewhere is not the same as being able to produce it in a usable form on request. Test retrieval before you need it.

2Your provider's archive may not be your archive

Some providers hold transmitted documents as part of the service. Establish in writing whether you have an independent, exportable copy.

3Keep the structured data, not just a rendering

A PDF rendering of a structured invoice is not the same artefact. Retain the structured document itself.

4Retention periods still apply

Standard UAE record retention requirements have not gone away. If anything, having invoices in structured form makes complying with them easier.

Practical steps

Where to start

Work down this list in order. Most of it costs nothing but an hour of attention.

GoldenKey e-Invoice · in development

We are building our own e-invoicing app — and the ERP and CRM around it

We are not reselling somebody else's product. Zaini Developers is our own development team, and the e-invoicing engine sits inside the same platform that already runs CRM, accounting, POS and HR for UAE clients. That means when your business needs a field, a document layout or a report that a shrink-wrapped product does not have, we add it instead of putting it on a roadmap.

Connects to your ASPWe wire your system to the Accredited Service Provider you appoint, so the exchange happens through the approved channel.
Full invoicing suiteQuotations, proforma, tax invoices, credit notes, debit notes and part-payments in one place.
Customer & supplier recordsTRN, TIN, licence details, trade name in English and Arabic, and the addresses the schema expects.
Validation before sendingMissing or malformed fields are caught in your own system first, so rejections do not pile up later.
VAT-aware line itemsStandard-rated, zero-rated, exempt and reverse-charge lines handled per line, not per invoice.
Multi-currencyInvoice in AED, USD, EUR or GBP with the AED equivalent recorded where it is required.
Approval workflowDraft, review, approve, issue — with a named person against every step.
Archive & retrievalInvoices stored in a searchable archive you can hand to an auditor without digging through email.
Audit trailWho created it, who changed it, who issued it and when — recorded automatically.

GoldenKey is a business setup and compliance consultancy. We are not a Ministry of Finance Accredited Service Provider, and we do not claim to be one. Our software is built to work alongside the ASP you appoint. Scope, timelines and pricing are agreed in writing before any work starts.

Questions we get asked

Frequently asked

Short, practical answers. If yours is not here, ask us directly — we answer even if you never become a client.

How long must I keep e-invoices in the UAE?

Standard UAE record retention requirements apply. The practical requirement is that you can retrieve them in a usable form throughout that period.

Does my ASP archive count as my records?

Do not assume so. Confirm in writing whether you have an independent exportable copy and what happens if you change provider.

Should I keep PDFs as well?

Keeping a readable rendering is convenient, but the structured document is the record and should be retained as such.

Keep reading

Related guides

Before you act on thisEverything here is written to help you understand your position, not to replace advice on it. The framework has already been amended once and further ministerial decisions may follow, so treat dates and thresholds on this page as the published position at the time of writing rather than as permanent. We are happy to confirm your specific position in writing at no cost. Prices are always indicative until agreed in writing.
Talk to a human

A free readiness check, with no sales pitch attached

We tell you your phase, the gaps in your data and what a realistic budget looks like. If you do not need us, we say so.

  • 20+ years of UAE compliance work behind every answer
  • We tell you your phase before we quote anything
  • Software team in-house — no third-party hand-off
  • Written scope and indicative pricing before any work starts

Free e-invoicing readiness check

No cost, no obligation. We tell you which phase you fall into and what you actually need.

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