| Update: | Compliance Alert - New extension of PDF invoices’ for tax purposes validity until 31 December 2021 |
| Date: | 2021-08-02 |
On 27 July 2021, the Portuguese Secretary of Finance published a dispatch (Despacho Nº 260/2021-XXII), introducing further means of alleviating the tax obligations due to the negative effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy.
These include:
- Monthly VAT returns, starting from September 2021, can be submitted by the 20th of each month;
- Quarterly VAT returns, starting from November 2021, can be submitted until the 20th of that month;
- Payments due from these returns can be paid up to the 25th of the respective month.
The new regulation also extends the validity of the PDF invoices mentioned above until 31 December 2021 (previously extended until 30 September 2021).
Furthermore, it needs to be stated that this amendment does not affect invoices sent to public authorities. Such invoices must be sent via FE-AP in a structured format (e-invoices), and therefore, PDFs are not allowed.
Finally, the amendment implies that starting from 1 January 2022, a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) will have to be applied to PDF and other non-EDI invoices for tax purposes. Only in this case will these documents still be considered valid.