In short: first confirm the provider is accredited (not only pre-approved) on the Ministry of Finance's list. Then check that it can take invoice data from your own systems in the PINT AE format, meet the 14-day issuing window, store data in the UAE, and support you through a system failure. Everything else is fit, price and service.
What the rules require
These points come from the Ministry of Finance's decisions. A provider that cannot support them cannot meet your obligation.
- Accreditation. You must appoint an Accredited Service Provider. Pre-approved providers are still completing final accreditation. Check the current list, and confirm it again at the Ministry's site on the day you sign.
- The deadline for your group. AED 50m or more in revenue: appoint by 30 October 2026, go live 1 January 2027. Below AED 50m: appoint by 31 March 2027, go live 1 July 2027. Government entities: appoint by 31 March 2027, go live 1 October 2027. See the full guide.
- PINT AE data. Invoice data moves through the Peppol-based five-corner model in the PINT AE format, so your provider has to take data from your accounting or ERP system and produce it.
- 14 days. E-invoices and e-credit notes must be issued and transmitted within 14 days of the transaction date.
- System failure. A system failure must be notified to the Federal Tax Authority within 2 business days, so agree who detects and reports it.
- Data location. E-invoicing data must be stored within the UAE.
Questions worth asking any provider
These are practical checks rather than legal requirements. Ask for answers in writing.
- Which accounting or ERP systems do you connect to today, and is the connector built and in use, or planned?
- How do we send you invoice data, and who maps our fields to PINT AE?
- How do you handle credit notes, rejected invoices and corrections within the 14-day window?
- How are we alerted to a system failure, and who notifies the Federal Tax Authority?
- Where exactly is our data stored, and how do we get it back if we change provider?
- How is pricing structured (per invoice, per month, set-up), and what happens above our volume band?
- Who supports go-live testing, and what is your capacity before our deadline?
How we treat providers
Gulf Rulebook does not rank providers and no provider can pay to appear first. Any paid profile will be labelled "Sponsored". See our editorial policy.
Disclosure: Gulf Rulebook is published by the team behind SmartBizAIO, which offers integration work connecting accounting and ERP systems to other platforms. If you want help with that, see SmartBizAIO. It is our own service, and it does not affect anything on this page.
Accreditation rules effective 1 October 2026
Ministerial Decision No. 168 of 2026 replaces Decision No. 64 of 2025 and its amendments (Articles 18 and 20). Checked on 9 October 2026; other obligations and phase deadlines on this page retain their 24 September verification date.
Only Ministry-accredited providers may provide electronic invoicing services (Article 3). Accreditation follows application assessment and technical testing, lasts two years, and renewal must be requested at least 70 business days before expiry (Articles 11–15). Existing pre-approved providers must complete the new requirements within 30 days of the decision's effective date; otherwise the Ministry terminates their pre-approval. A new application is not required unless the Ministry determines otherwise (Article 19). This transition period is separate from a business's deadline to appoint an accredited provider.
Ask how the provider delivers its commitment to 100 free eInvoice exchange and reporting services per end user per year, starting from the signed end-user agreement (Article 9). Confirm what integration, onboarding and support charges remain. The decision also requires product ISO/IEC 27001 certification, encryption, multifactor authentication, security monitoring and compliance with end-user hosting and residency requirements (Article 8). Third-party products and outsourcing are permitted, but the provider retains full responsibility and oversight (Article 4).