Guide updated 11 July 2026
Electronic invoicing without confusion: Facturae, FACe, Crea y Crece and Verifactu
Four names that everybody mixes up and that are different things. Here is the map, with what is already mandatory and what is not yet.
Facturae: the format
Facturae is the Spanish structured XML format for electronic invoices (versions 3.2, 3.2.1 and 3.2.2). It has been mandatory since 2015 for invoicing public administrations through FACe (the general entry point), where it must also be signed with XAdES. For B2G there is no debate: either a signed Facturae, or the administration will not accept it.
Crea y Crece: the B2B obligation that is coming
Ley 18/2022 (Crea y Crece) extends electronic invoicing to transactions between companies and self-employed people. Its implementing regulation is still awaiting final approval, and the deadlines will run from its publication (large companies first, then the rest). It is a different obligation from Verifactu: it governs the exchange with your customer, not the behaviour of your software towards the tax authority.
Verifactu: the software
Real Decreto 1007/2023 requires your invoicing program to generate tamper-proof records with a chained hash and a QR code. Dates in force after Real Decreto-ley 15/2025: 1 January 2027 (companies) and 1 July 2027 (self-employed).
What to do today with PAPYR
Create an invoice with its Facturae 3.2.2 validated against the official schema (the XAdES signature that FACe requires is made with your certificate and AutoFirma from /licitaciones/firmar, without the invoice passing through our server), validate any Facturae you receive by checking schema, tax IDs and amounts, and convert PDF or photo invoices into clean Excel. Free, without signing up, with the data processed in the EU and discarded when the response is returned.
Frequently asked questions
Can I send the Facturae that PAPYR generates to FACe?
Yes, once it is signed. The XML is generated validated against the 3.2.2 schema and FACe also requires an XAdES signature with a certificate: sign it with your company certificate at /licitaciones/firmar, where AutoFirma signs it in Facturae format on your computer (the invoice does not pass through our server). Without that signature, FACe rejects it.
Is B2B electronic invoicing already mandatory?
No. The Ley Crea y Crece is approved, but the effective obligation depends on its implementing regulation, still pending. When it is published, the deadlines will run by company size.
Which Facturae version does PAPYR validate?
3.2, 3.2.1 and 3.2.2 against the official schema, with a check of the tax IDs (NIF/CIF) of the parties and that bases, VAT and totals add up. And the XAdES signature, checked: that the invoice has not changed since it was signed, who signed it, and whether their certificate is qualified according to Spain's trusted list.