What Phase 2 (integration) requires
After Phase 1 (generation), which required businesses to issue electronic invoices carrying a QR code, Phase 2 connects the taxpayer's invoicing system directly to ZATCA's Fatoora platform. It is rolled out in waves, with businesses notified according to their revenue.
In practice, an invoice is generated as XML to ZATCA's specification, cryptographically stamped and sent to the platform: standard tax invoices (B2B) must be cleared before they are delivered to the customer, while simplified invoices (B2C) are reported to the authority within 24 hours. Before any of that, each device or branch is onboarded to the platform with a certificate issued through the Fatoora portal.
How Odoo handles it
Recent Odoo versions include the Saudi e-invoicing module, which produces the XML file to ZATCA's specification, generates the QR code, submits invoices to the Fatoora platform for clearance or reporting, stores the authority's response on each invoice, and handles credit and debit notes by linking them to the original invoice as the specification requires. A simulation environment lets you test the connection before moving to production.
Point-of-sale invoicing is covered too: simplified invoices from POS carry the QR code and are reported through the same mechanism.
What we take care of within the implementation
- Readiness review: chart of accounts, tax configuration, customer data (VAT number, national address, customer type) and invoice sequences.
- Module setup and onboarding of branches or devices, with full simulation testing on real scenarios: standard invoice, simplified invoice, credit note, debit note.
- Production cutover with a clear plan, and training for finance and sales staff on reading invoice status and handling rejections and warnings.
- Monitoring the first weeks after go-live and correcting any drift before it accumulates.
Common mistakes we see
Most rejections are not caused by Odoo but by data: a missing VAT number or address on the customer, a wrong tax setting on a product, a standard invoice issued to a customer who should receive a simplified one, or a credit note that does not reference its original invoice. That is why our plan always starts with data cleanup, not the technical connection.
What if you are on an older Odoo version?
Phase 2 support is available in recent Odoo versions. If your company runs an older release, we assess the best path with you: upgrading the system — usually the right choice over the medium term — or a considered interim solution, with the cost and risk of each option laid out plainly.