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Portugal SAF-T (PT)

Non-resident business with a Portuguese VAT registration must submit monthly invoices under SAF-T PT from Jan 2023

Foreign businesses producing their Portuguese invoices using certified software are obliged from 1 January 2023 to submit monthly invoice summaries using the SAF-PT format. This will be due by the 12th (5th from January 2025) of the month following.

In addition to SAF-T, new QR code and ATCUD invoice code requirements coming into effect 1 January 2027 for non-resident taxpayers.

Portugal SAF-T PT since 2009

Portugal was the first country to implement the OECD’s Standard Audit File for Tax in 2009. It is known as SAF-T (PT) locally, and all income taxpayers are required to comply – meaning resident. SAF-T is standardised format for the reporting of VAT transactions – see below.

Check which other countries have implemented SAF-T.

3 SAF-T (PT) reports for all businesses from 2023

SAF-T (PT) includes monthly XML submissions, reconciled to the VAT return. There is also an annual reporting summary requirement. Data must be prepared on Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira (AT) approved software, and submitted by the 20th of the month after the reporting period. At present, there are three Portuguese ledgers:

  1. Accounting – The accounting systems must record the information to generate the electronic accounting file in SAFT-PT format. This monthly or annual declaration must include the lists of articles, clients and suppliers, VAT regimes, accounting movements and accounting plan. This will be used for completion of the annual IES reporting statement from 2022.
  2. Billing reporting – The electronic VAT return in SAFT-PT format must be submitted before the 5th (previously 12th) of each month. The authorities require that the files be generated sequentially and go through an encryption process in which the electronic signature of the previous invoice is implemented as a control system for the file creation process.
  3. Transport documents – Data in real time to the Tax and Customs Authority of Portugal. The solution automatically receives the code and integrates it into the transport document. This code allows the movement of goods.

OECD Standard Audit File for Tax ledger reporting

Since May 2005, SAF-T is recommended in the following five formats (per v2, 2010):

  1. General Ledger: journals
  2. Accounts Receivable: customer master files; invoices; payments
  3. Accounts Payable: supplier master file; invoices; payments
  4. Fixed Assets: asset master files; depreciation and revaluation
  5. Inventory: product master files; movements

If you need to complete SAF-T submissions, our VAT Filer can accurately populate any country submission with verified VAT or GST data from our VAT Calculator or VAT Auditor services.

Standard Audit File for Tax SAF-T countries

Country (click for details) Date Scope
13 Ukraine Jan 2025 Phased 2025 to 2027 implementation
12 Bulgaria 2025 ? Phased introduction over two years
11 Denmark Jan 2024 Phased implementation from 2024
10 Romania Jan 2022 Mandatory monthly filings initially large taxpayers (due Jan 2023)
9 EU OSS & IOSS Jul 2021 On-demand for sellers, marketplaces or Intermediaries
8 Norway 2020 Replaced VAT return 2022
7 Angola 2019 On-demand
6 Lithuania 2019 On-demand; residents and non-residents above €30,000 sales threshold
5 Poland 2016 Mandatory, monthly replaced VAT return Oct 2020
4 France 2014 On-demand
3 Luxembourg 2011 On-demand
2 Austria 2009 On-demand
1 Portugal 2009 Monthly for residents and non-residents (Jun 2022)

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