Electronic Invoice

Electronic invoices, credit notes and reminders
Electronic invoices, credit notes and reminders entail sending the data file in standard format to the receiver. For Norway's public sector, the Elektronisk handelsformat (EHF) is the standard.
The Ehandel.no format meets the requirements of the Norwegian Accounting Act.
Invoices, credit notes and reminders willnot be accepted in pdf format.

Environmental considerations
Sending and receiving invoices, credit notes and reminders electronically will save paper and the mailing of documents via the postal service's air and road transport.

CO₂ emissions will be less and the amount of waste reduced.

The public has ca 25 million invoices per year that will be sent electronically.

Save time and resources
In addition, your business will save time and resources on non-manual handling of documents, and instead use the time oncontrols and monitoring, as well as customer-oriented work.

Standard format
By using the standard Elektronisk handelsformat (EHF) the parties will be able to send and receive documents in the same structured format. Document flow and controls in the finishing process control will go smoother.

Delivery location
The use of Access Points will make data exchange easier. Both the issuer and the receiver know that the documents are not lost in transit and that they only need to deal with one place to deliver / pick up their documents.

Regulatory requirements

On 16 June 2009, parliament endorsed “The good purchase” proposal in the Report. No. 36 (2008-2009), whereby government agencies and health authorities should be able to receive electronic invoices. ¹

¹ (cf. No. 348 (2008-2009))

01.07.2011 - State agencies and health authorities shall be able to receive invoices electronically in the standard format.

01.07.2012 - All government agencies receive electronic invoices in the standard format.

Industry and commerce must also send electronic invoices in the standard format.

The standard format is "Elektronisk handeslformat (EHF)".

For you as a supplier, this is what you need to do:

 • create an agreement between the parties (you and the Access Point) <not ready>
 • adopt Elektronisk handelsformat (EHF) - see Elektronisk handelsformat (EHF) to the left

 • adopt CENBII format (invoice and credit note to another country) - see CEN BII to the left 
 • validate the file / message  - see Valideringsverkøy to the left

 • mapping specification from e2b to Elektronisk handelsformat (EHF) (only in Norwegian) - see mapping to the left
 • make use of the invoice portal (WFP) <not ready>

These businesses can receive electronic invoices in Electronic trading format (EHF) - click her

These accesspoints are in progress or ready in the Norwegian marked - click her

For you as a receiver, this is what you need to do:
 • create an agreement between the parties (you and the Access Point) <not ready>
 • receive documents in the Elektronisk handelsformat (EHF) - see Elektronisk handelsformat (EHF) to the left

 • register in the Electronic recipients' address registry (ELMA) <not ready>

ELMA - Electronic receiver address register is a Norwegian registry for recipients of invoices. Here, the public entities register their invoice address to which the documents are to be sent.
This service will be available in summer 2011.