Learning about Mexico e-Invoicing from an Expert, Part 1

The following is an interview I did last week with Mexico e-Invoicing expert Jason Jones, the VP of Services with Crossgate, a company co-owned by SAP.

Kevin: What are the biggest challenges you are seeing companies face with Mexico e-Invoicing?

Jason: Number one, there is much confusion about what the new rules really mean. Many companies have been using the preprinted versions of folios.  They have learned, over time, about the first set of Mexico SAT requirements and as a result think they understand the new set of requirements.  The problem is that much has changed in the new set of enhancements.  Many companies are confident in their ignorance.  They think they know all the requirements, but what they know is outdated.

Two things in particular have changed.  In the new enhancements that are mandated for January 1, 2011, there is a mandate to use electronic invoices rather than have a paper invoice option, and you have a mandate as to how you must handle invoices in real time.

Kevin:  What are some of the additional new requirements?

Jason:  New requirements are timbres – folio numbers go away.  Folio numbers will be replaced by digitally signing and archiving an invoice with a valid timbre number.   In addition, last year's requirements did not require you to report on the use of the invoice number until end of the month.  Now you need to create an invoice and get it approved and signed by the PAC or SAT as it is created, before the product is sent out.  There is no longer a need for the monthly reports.

The PAC or SAT assigns a UUID 32 byte global unique identifier to the timbre.  The timbre's digital signature consists of three signing attributes:

1.  Invoice number

2.  Senders Signature

3.  SAT authorization – SAT’s signature (UUID, date and time stamp when it was created and when it was approved.  This is all combined into the digital signature of the SAT)

It is important to recognize that there are two important steps now:

1.  Create a trimbre

2.  Get it approved and signed in real-time before the products are shipped.

Kevin:  What is the barcode on the invoice in the new requirements?

Jason:  The barcode is used for validating that the invoice is correct and accurate and digitally signed by the SAT or PAC.  There are four pieces of data in the barcode:

1.  RFC number of the sender

2.  RFC of the receiver

3.  Total amount of the invoice

4.  UUID number from the SAT

Read Part 2 here.
Read Part 3 here.

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Kevin R Benedict SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, SAP Blogger
Independent e-Invoicing and EDI Analyst and Consultant
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
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*Full Disclosure: I am an independent consultant that has worked with and for many of the companies mentioned.