Electronic Invoice Distribution service - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
This FAQ has the purpose of clarifying the most frequently asked questions related to the Electronic Invoice Distribution service:
1. When will the service of Electronic Invoice Distribution be implemented?
The Electronic Invoice Distribution service will be available 1 July 2019.
2. Who needs to sign the Electronic Invoice Distribution form?
The form must be signed in the name of the head/parent company by an authorised person.
Note: Electronic Invoice Distribution forms in the name of the branch cannot be accepted due to legal requirements.
3. For which accounts can this application form be applied?
Customers can apply for the Electronic Invoice Distribution service either for all their Clearstream Banking S.A. (CBL) and Clearstream Banking AG (CBF) accounts or selected accounts only.
There are two options of account selection:
- Customers can define one email recipient address for all of their existing accounts, including all accounts of the head/parent company as well as their branches. The recipient email address will be used for all future accounts of this customer.
- Customers can select specific accounts to use the Electronic Invoice Distribution service and define an email recipient per selected account. Customers should keep in mind that for future accounts no email address will be set by default. This means customers need to complete and sign the Electronic Invoice Distribution form for every new account separately.
Customers should consider that they need to sign separate forms for their CBF and CBL accounts.
4. Can I setup more than one email recipient per account to receive my invoices?
No, only one invoice recipient can be set up per account.
5. Can I ignore this re-application if I am using only the paper-based invoice process?
Yes, customers who are currently using the paper-based invoice process and do not wish to receive the invoice electronically from 1 July 2019 do not need to submit the form.
6. Will the current invoice recipient remain unchanged if I do not complete and sign the Electronic Invoice Distribution form?
Yes, the current invoice recipient will remain unchanged. The invoice will be sent to the same contact as before.
7. Do I need to re-configure my email server to receive my electronic invoice in future?
In the case, that you have implemented TLS 1.2 standard, according the announcement C18031, no additional technical implementation is required. If this is not the case, the TLS 1.2 Standard has to be implemented.
8. Can I use a SWIFT message MT599 to apply for electronic invoicing?
CBF customers can apply for Electronic Invoice Distribution service via free-format SWIFT message MT599 to DAKVDEFF with the following information:
- Attention: OSM Unit;
- Registered Company name (in full);
- Name of institution;
- Address, city, postcode and country;
- Main account number OR VAT;
- Email address of the invoice recipient.
In addition, customers need to confirm in the SWIFT message if:
- The request applies to all existing accounts of the Company at CBF at the date hereof ________ (DD.MM.YYYY); OR
- The request applies only to the following account numbers of the Company at CBF __________ (please list the account numbers).
For CBL customers, the application via SWIFT MT599 is currently not available.
9. Is the application for the Billing Portal mandatory?
No, the usage of the Billing Portal is optional, but it is recommended to sign up to benefit from a wide range of services, for example, download invoice copies as PDFs and billing reports as CSV files for further electronic processing.
10. Do I need to pay an additional fee for the Electronic Invoice Distribution service?
No, the Electronic Invoice Distribution service is free of charge.
11. My question was not answered by this FAQ. Who can I ask to get a qualified answer to my questions?
Please contact the Clearstream Banking Client Services or their Relationship Officer.