Use this checklist as a working SOP, not a one-time read.

Each phase builds on the last — skipping ahead to integration before your master data is clean is one of the most common causes of delay.

Phase 1: Assess

1. Confirm your revenue tier and golive deadlines

  • Identify whether your entity falls into the ≥ AED 50 million or < AED 50 million revenue tier.
  • Record your ASP appointment deadline and mandatory golive date (e.g., 1 Jan 2027 or 1 Jul 2027).

2. Map your current invoicing workflow end to end

  • Document all steps from order/contract to invoice issuance, delivery, and archiving.
  • Highlight any manual or PDFbased steps that will need automation or redesign for structured XML.

3. Identify applicable transaction types

  • Confirm which scenarios apply: B2B, B2G, and any specific B2B segments (e.g., crossborder, related parties).
  • Note that B2C is currently out of scope for mandatory einvoicing.

4. Assign a single project owner

  • Appoint one accountable owner spanning Finance and IT.
  • Define a core working group (Finance, IT/Tax, Procurement/Sales) with clear decision rights.

Phase 2: Select and Appoint an ASP

1. Shortlist FTAaccredited providers

Use the official list of preapproved einvoicing service providers:

FTA preapproved einvoicing service providers.

2. Evaluate integration compatibility

  • Assess how each ASP integrates with your ERP/accounting system (API, filebased, middleware).
  • Confirm support for PINTAE / UBL 2.1, your transaction types, and expected volumes.

3. Compare pricing and budget impact

  • Compare fees (setup, perinvoice, support) against your invoice volumes and growth.
  • Include ASP costs and internal changemanagement costs in your budget cycle.

4. Sign and complete onboarding early

  • Contract and complete technical onboarding well before your ASP deadline, not on the due date.
  • Ensure your ASP is formally appointed in line with MoF/FTA requirements.

Phase 3: Prepare Your Data and Systems

1. Clean and standardise master data

  • Tax codes / VAT treatment: Standardise tax codes and map them to PINTAE tax categories (standard, zerorated, exempt, outofscope).
  • Customer and supplier records: Ensure complete and accurate legal names, TRNs, addresses, and country codes.
  • Peppol participant IDs: Capture and validate Peppol endpoint IDs where available; maintain a “Peppol ID registry” with verification dates.

2. Map ERP invoice fields to PINTAE / UBL 2.1

  • Use MoF’s mandatory fields list and the PINTAE / UBL 2.1 schema as your data dictionary.
  • Create and maintain a fieldbyfield mapping from your ERP to PINTAE elements (document type, parties, line items, taxes, payments, references).
  • Validate that all mandatory and conditional fields are correctly populated for each transaction type.

3. Confirm secure storage and retention meets FTA requirements

  • Retain einvoices and related data in structured format (XML/JSON) for at least *5 years* from the end of the relevant tax period.
  • Ensure records are stored securely, with integrity controls and the ability to retrieve them promptly for FTA requests.
  • Clarify storage responsibilities with your ASP/cloud provider; your entity remains legally responsible for compliance.

4. Identify trading partners without a Peppol ID and plan fallback

  • Run a gap analysis of key customers and suppliers to identify those without Peppol IDs.
  • Define fallback procedures (e.g., email/portal delivery of commercial copy while still generating compliant PINTAE XML and reporting via your ASP).
  • Document a communication plan to inform partners of your golive date, data requirements, and interim processes.

Phase 4: Test the Full Chain

1. Execute endtoend test invoices

Generate test invoices in your ERP and route them through:

  • Invoice generation
  • ASP validation
  • Peppol transmission
  • Buyer receipt and acceptance

Cover all relevant scenarios (B2B, B2G, advances, credit notes, retentions, exports where applicable).

2. Log and resolve validation errors during pilot

  • Use the voluntary pilot phase to identify and fix schema, mapping, and process errors while no penalties apply.
  • Maintain an error log with root cause, fix, and owner.

3. Run a parallel period before cutover

  • Operate einvoicing in parallel with your legacy process for a defined period.
  • Reconcile einvoice data with VAT reporting and financials before full cutover.

Phase 5: Go Live and Monitor

1. Confirm golive ahead of your mandatory date

  • Target an internal golive date that allows buffer time before your regulatory deadline.
  • Obtain formal signoff from Finance and IT that key controls are working.

2. Set up monitoring and alerts

  • Configure alerts for transmission failures, rejected invoices, and ASP service issues.
  • Assign an owner to monitor and resolve failures within defined service level agreements (SLAs).

3. Track FTA systemfailure notifications

  • Monitor any FTA/MoF communications regarding system outages or temporary relief.
  • Assign an owner to track these notifications and adjust internal processes accordingly.

4. Review performance post golive

For the first two quarters after golive, review monthly:

  • Rejection and error rates
  • Average resolution time for failures
  • Any recurring dataquality or mapping issues

Use findings to refine master data, workflows, and training.