The Spanish Treasury has clarified that invoices must be retained for at least four years under general tax law, with extended periods of five years for investment gold and six years for business records under the Commercial Code. Proper record-keeping—including invoices, receipts, and delivery notes—is essential to avoid fines of up to 2% of transaction value or €300 per violation. As electronic invoicing expands under reforms like VeriFactu, ensuring invoice accessibility, legibility, and traceability is more important than ever.
State treasury in Spain clarifies invoice retention period to avoid penalties.
Public
Spain
Author: Nikolina Basić
Category:
Fiscal subject related
Views:
17
Content accuracy validation date:
20.05.2025
Content accuracy validation time:
08:17h
Keeping invoices up to date is essential for businesses and individuals looking to avoid tax penalties. The Spanish Treasury has reaffirmed the legal requirements for invoice retention, which range from four to six years, depending on the nature of the transaction.
Under Law 58/2003 of December 17, taxpayers must retain invoices for at least four years. However, specific cases require longer retention periods:
· Six years for business records, including books, correspondence, and receipts (Commercial Code compliance).
· Five years for transactions involving investment gold.
As electronic invoicing becomes more widespread, maintaining proper documentation is more critical than ever. The Create and Grow Law and new measures such as VeriFactu aim to streamline tax procedures and reduce fraud, but failing to comply with record-keeping requirements can lead to fines of 2% of the transaction value—or €300 per transaction if the amount is unknown.
Additionally, businesses must keep not only issued and received invoices but also payment receipts and delivery notes tied to those invoices.
Tax regulations do not mandate a specific format for invoice storage, but ensuring accessibility and legibility is key. Any modifications should be properly recorded, ensuring transparency and integrity in financial documentation.
Summary of Retention Requirements:
· General Tax Compliance (Law 58/2003): 4 years
· Business Records (Commercial Code): 6 years
· Investment Gold Transactions: 5 years
Failure to comply with invoice retention rules can result in significant fines and unnecessary legal complications.
Other news from Spain
New document was uploaded: Q& A from the webinar: Fiscalization and online sales in European countries
Author: Nikolina Basić
On May 15th, 2025, Fiscal Solutions organized a free webinar on the topic of "Fiscalization and online sales in European countries". The webinar was held by Fiscal Solutions Legal Consultant Nikolina Basić. Let’s find out more about answers to questions asked during the webinar. Read more
New document was uploaded: Recorded webinar: Fiscalization and online sales in European countries
Author: Nikolina Basić
On May 15th, 2025, Fiscal Solutions organized a free webinar on the topic of "Fiscalization and online sales in European countries". The webinar was held by Fiscal Solutions Legal Consultant Nikolina Basić. Let’s delve deeper into this topic! Read more
End of intra-model European electronic invoice and new rules introduced
Public
Author: Nikolina Basić
Starting July 1, 2030, the EU will eliminate the Intra models for VAT reporting, replacing them with mandatory electronic invoicing under Directive 516/2025. The new system, part of the VIDA 2030 Package, will require businesses to issue standardized e-invoices for all intra-EU B2B transactions, with data transmitted to VIES for cross-border VAT monitoring and fraud prevention. This shift aims to... Read more
Understanding the Digital Services Act
Author: Ivana Picajkić
The Digital Services Act (DSA) is an EU regulation designed to ensure safer and more transparent online environments by imposing new responsibilities on digital service providers, including those outside the EU. It applies to a broad range of online platforms, with stricter obligations for very large platforms, but also key requirements for medium-sized businesses, such as EU representation, transparency, and content moderation reporting. Read more
Fiscalization in Spain: What is the meaning of the so-called billing record in terms of fiscalization requirements?
Public
Spain
Author: Nikolina Basić
Spain
Author: Nikolina Basić
Under Spain’s Royal Decree 1007/2023, a billing record is a digitally generated, tamper-proof file linked to each invoice or receipt, serving as the core document for fiscal audits rather than the invoice PDF itself. These records, required in real time (VERI*FACTU mode) or stored securely (SIF), contain structured metadata and digital fingerprints to ensure transparency, integrity, and traceabili... Read more
VERIFACTU services now available.
Spain
Author: Nikolina Basić
The Spanish Tax Agency has launched VERIFACTU services ahead of schedule, enabling businesses to access digital tools under Royal Decree 1007/2023. Available features include web services for submitting and consulting billing records, with specific functions for verifiable invoice submission and QR code-based invoice verification. Read more