Electronic invoices (ESF): what businesses need to know

An electronic invoice (ESF) is a mandatory document for most transactions between legal entities in Uzbekistan, and mistakes in issuing it directly affect tax reporting.

What an ESF is and why you need it

An ESF confirms the fact of delivery of goods or provision of services and serves as the basis for accounting for VAT by both parties to the deal — the buyer and the seller.

Who must issue an ESF

The obligation applies to companies registered as VAT payers and, in some cases, to other categories of taxpayers for certain operations.

Common mistakes when working with ESF

• Discrepancies between the shipment date and the ESF issue date
• Incorrectly stated counterparty details
• Late issuing, which leads to questions during an audit

Conclusion

Careful work with ESF reduces risks during tax audits and simplifies reconciliation with counterparties — with a large flow of documents it makes sense to build the process so that issuing happens on the same day as the shipment.