How an invoice is fiscalized with Fiscal Pro, step by step

What you need before the first invoice

These three are registered once on the Tax Administration portal and reused by every invoice after that.

The fiscalization flow, step by step

Every step below happens for every invoice, in seconds, with no operator action.

1. 1

   The invoice is created at the point of sale

   The operator adds the items, the quantities and the payment method. The program calculates the value without VAT, the VAT at the applicable rate and the total, preserving the arithmetic balance the central invoice platform checks before it accepts the invoice.

2. 2

   The issuer security number (NSLF) is generated

   From the identifying data of the invoice, the taxpayer identification number (NIPT), the date and time, the invoice number, the unit code, the cash register code and the total, the NSLF is produced: the invoice issuer's security number. It is computed locally, before any communication with the central system.

3. 3

   The invoice is signed electronically

   The request is built in XML and signed with the private key of the business's electronic certificate. The signature proves the invoice really came from this business and that its content did not change after it was issued.

4. 4

   It is sent to the central invoice platform

   The signed request is sent over SOAP web services through a secured connection, under Council of Ministers decision no. 431 of 3 June 2020. The platform verifies the signature first, then the content of the invoice.

5. 5

   The unique identification number (NIVF) comes back

   When the invoice is accepted, the central platform returns the NIVF: the unique invoice identification number. That number is the proof the invoice was registered in real time with the Tax Administration, under law no. 87/2019.

6. 6

   The invoice is handed to the buyer

   The NIVF, the NSLF and the QR code are printed on the invoice. By scanning the code, the buyer checks on the official verification page that the invoice is registered in the name of the business.

7. 7

   When the connection drops: the queue and later sending

   If the network is unavailable, the invoice is issued with the locally computed NSLF and held in a queue. As soon as the connection returns, it is sent automatically and receives its NIVF, within the legal window of 48 hours.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to fiscalize an invoice?

Under normal network conditions the full cycle, signing, sending and the return of the NIVF, completes within a few seconds. The operator waits for no end-of-day processing: the invoice is registered at the moment it is issued.

What happens if the internet drops during a sale?

The invoice is issued all the same, because the NSLF is computed locally and does not depend on the network. The document is held in a queue and sent automatically once the connection returns, receiving its NIVF within the legal window of 48 hours.

What is the difference between NIVF and NSLF?

NSLF, the invoice issuer's security number, is produced by the issuer itself before sending. NIVF, the unique invoice identification number, is returned by the central invoice platform once the invoice is accepted. The first proves the origin, the second the registration.

Why is an electronic certificate required?

Because every invoice is sent signed electronically, and the central platform rejects it if the signature cannot be verified. The certificate is issued by the National Agency for Information Society (AKSHI) and obtained by the business through e-Albania.

Can a fiscalized invoice be corrected?

A registered invoice is never deleted. The correction is made with a corrective invoice, which carries negative values and is linked to the original one through the NIVF reference, so the trail of both stays complete.