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Saudi e-invoicing guide

ZATCA QR code invoice requirements

A QR code is one part of a Saudi e-invoice—not a substitute for the invoice data, XML, security, and integration requirements that apply to the transaction. Use this guide to organize the work and verify it against current ZATCA specifications.

Reviewed 29 July 2026. Regulatory and technical requirements can change; confirm the current rules for your legal entity and invoice type.

Review the control pathOpen the Saudi hub
ZATCA QR invoice requirements from invoice data and payload generation to validation and audit evidence

Start by classifying the invoice

Identify whether the transaction produces a tax invoice, a simplified tax invoice, a credit note, or a debit note. Also confirm which phase of Saudi e-invoicing applies to the legal entity and whether ZATCA has notified it about Integration Phase onboarding. Those decisions determine the technical flow; do not copy one QR implementation across every document without checking its type and applicable specification.

Treat the QR code as generated output

Build the QR value from the validated invoice record rather than allowing users to type or paste it independently. The human-readable invoice, machine-readable invoice, QR code, tax calculation, and accounting record should all come from the same approved source data. Regenerate the output only through a controlled correction or note process.

Implementation control checklist

Data and calculation

  • Required seller, buyer, tax, line, total, and document-reference data
  • Consistent rounding and VAT calculation rules
  • Invoice type and transaction-code mapping
  • Controlled customer and tax master data

Generation and evidence

  • QR and XML generated from the same invoice version
  • Applicable validation and integration responses retained
  • Clear ownership for failures and rejected transactions
  • Credit and debit note workflow tested end to end

Test more than a successful invoice

A production-readiness test should include standard and simplified invoice scenarios that apply to the business, discounts, multiple tax treatments where relevant, returns, credit and debit notes, connectivity interruptions, validation failures, duplicate attempts, and corrected master data. Finance should approve calculated values, while the technical owner verifies XML, QR, response handling, and retained evidence.

Questions to ask a software provider

  • Which Saudi invoice types and integration scenarios are supported today?
  • How are ZATCA specification changes tracked, tested, and released?
  • What happens when validation or submission fails?
  • Which records and responses can finance retrieve during a review?
  • Who owns onboarding, certificate management, integration mapping, and user acceptance testing?

Plan the full Saudi e-invoicing flow

Continue with the Saudi Arabia e-invoicing hub and the implementation guide. To evaluate Xfatora against your invoice types, integrations, and controls, request a guided demo.

Request a guided demo