There are a few common types of e-invoice addresses (identifiers) in general use worldwide. The identifiers are defined by ISO-6523, an international standard for identifying organizations and parts thereof. The most common identifier types are:
- GLN (previously known as EAN) stands for a Global Location Number. They are often used as barcodes for fixed locations. Businesses can buy and own the barcode; the numbering scheme is maintained by GS1, which guarantees that your code is unique. A GLN is 13-digits.
- DUNS is a unique location identifier supplied by Dun and Bradstreet Ltd. They are, strictly speaking, a unique identifier for your credit rating. It is free to get a DUNS number, and D&B guarantees that your code is unique. A DUNS is 9-digits.
- VAT is widely used within Europe and the surrounding countries. All companies paying taxes will have a VAT number, and the number usually, but not always, ties in with a National Business Registry as well. A VAT is usually 8-12 digits, but the structure varies by country.
- PEPPOL is actually a group of address types used in the Pan-European OpenPEPPOL network. They always consist of a 4-digit prefix followed by an identifier separated by a colon (:).
E-invoice address towards Peppol is formatted as xxxx:yyyyyyyyyy
Replace XXXX as below
Norway 9908
Denmark 9902
EAN-addresses 0088 - OVT is a Finnish EDI address type (sometimes also called ISO-6523). It is based on the organization number (Y-tunnus) in the national business registry and is owned by the Finnish Tax Authority. It is possible to add up to 5 optional numbers, which can be used for internal identification purposes. An OVT is 12-17-digits.
- IBAN stands for International Bank Account Number. It is a scheme for identifying and exchanging bank account information across national borders. An IBAN is up to 34 alphanumeric characters, the exact structure varies by country.
- TIN is widely used in North America. It stands for Tax Identification Number, and most companies paying tax will have a TIN. Sometimes there can be a reluctance to share the number (e.g. due to risk of fraud), in which case the business could use DUNS instead.
A business that sends an invoice using e-invoicing needs to have an e-invoice address because receiving party uses it to identify the business automatically. As a best practice, the e-invoice address should contain information about the business (for example, the VAT code).
Receiving side can also automate the processing by the different department's identifiers at the end of the e-invoice address.
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