Check the deployed version, not just the product name

Ask the provider for written confirmation covering your business’s version and deployment. ZATCA’s guidance says the solution needs internet connectivity and the ability to generate and store documents with the required formats and fields.

Do not confuse storing a document with submitting it: documents are submitted to Fatoora as XML, not as an ordinary PDF or even as PDF/A-3 in place of XML.

Map your invoice sources

We recommend listing the system that generates each document, its branch or channel, the document type, and who handles signing and submission. Include accounting software, point-of-sale systems and your online store where they form part of your invoicing process.

Do not assume that the branch count always equals the stamp-identifier count. The technical guideline describes different arrangements for central servers, point-of-sale devices and branch servers; the identifier’s placement depends on the generation, signing and submission architecture.

Give the provider this map before onboarding so you can agree on the units in scope rather than discover an excluded invoice source at go-live.

Complete onboarding from portal to solution

In the manual-entry route, the user logs into Fatoora, selects onboarding for a new solution unit or device, generates a verification code, and enters it into the intended solution. The solution then sends a certificate signing request, obtains a compliance identifier, and performs compliance checks before receiving its production stamp identifier.

Software screens differ, so use your provider’s instructions for its internal steps. ZATCA’s guideline explains that the solution unit performs the compliance-check steps automatically.

Distinguish integration testing from production

ZATCA provides tools for local document validation and an environment for simulating integration. Its guideline identifies these as optional supporting tools, distinct from onboarding production solution units and submitting live documents.

Ask the provider to identify the environment on each test result, then review successful unit onboarding and document responses when moving into production. We recommend testing the invoice and note scenarios your business actually uses, with the accounting owner reviewing the data and amounts.

Agree on handover evidence

For an operational handover, agree on a list of onboarded units, tested-scenario results, outstanding issues, and responsibility for monitoring rejections and warnings. Do not substitute a successful-login screenshot for document results.

For the portal’s role, read what is Fatoora?. For applicability and timing, use our current-wave guide rather than inferring your deadline from the integration steps.

If you cannot tell whether the problem is in your data or solution setup, start with an Accounting system health check to identify problems in a report; the check is diagnostic only and does not include fixing them. For implementation, request Aleem’s E-invoicing readiness (Fatoora), covering readiness assessment, preparation, testing and team training within the agreed scope.

Aleem Consultations

Sources

https://zatca.gov.sa/en/E-Invoicing/PreparingYourBusiness/Phase2/Documents/How%20to%20get%20ready.pdf https://zatca.gov.sa/en/E-Invoicing/Introduction/Guidelines/Documents/E-invoicing-Detailed-Technical-Guideline.pdf https://zatca.gov.sa/en/E-Invoicing/Introduction/Guidelines/Documents/E-Invoicing_Detailed__Guideline.pdf