Mandatory E-Invoicing in Greece: What Every Small Business Must Do Now

If your business issues invoices — and which one doesn't — this concerns you personally. E-invoicing for business-to-business transactions in Greece is progressively becoming mandatory for everyone: not just the "big players," but also the sole proprietorship, the small shop, the workshop, the technical office. And as with every such change, those who leave it for the last minute will be scrambling — during a period when every provider and every accounting office will already be overloaded.

What exactly changes — in plain terms

Until now, businesses were required to transmit their document data to AADE's myDATA platform. The new framework goes a step further: the invoice itself must now be issued and delivered electronically, in a structured digital format — not as a simple PDF sent by email, but through a certified channel. An important detail that confuses many: e-invoicing does not replace myDATA — the two obligations coexist, the difference being that in the new system, transmission happens automatically at the moment of issuance.

Where things stand now

Implementation is phased: for the larger businesses (by turnover) e-invoicing is already mandatory, while for all the rest — that is, the vast majority of SMEs — the obligation takes effect in the immediately following period, with a transitional adjustment window during which parallel use of the older issuance methods is temporarily allowed. In addition, for domestic business-to-business transactions, acceptance of the electronic invoice by the recipient is mandatory — meaning that even if you don't issue many invoices yourself, you will be receiving electronic ones from your suppliers.

Note: the exact dates and any extensions are set by AADE and may change. For what applies to your specific case at the time of reading, confirm with your accountant or on AADE's official website.

Your options for issuing

• A certified e-invoicing provider: commercial services that handle issuance, delivery, and automatic transmission to myDATA. The most complete solution for businesses with document volume or commercial software.
• AADE's free applications: timologio and the myDATAapp mobile app offer an equivalent, no-cost solution — a realistic option for very small businesses with few documents.
• Your existing commercial/accounting software connected to a provider: most modern ERP and commercial management programs integrate with certified providers, so you keep working in the environment you know.

Which option suits you depends on document volume, the software you already use, and how you operate — and this is exactly where the decision should be made together with two people: your accountant and your technical partner.

The part nobody tells you about: technical preparation

Choosing a solution is half the job. The other half — the one usually discovered at the last minute — is technical:

• Software compatibility: does your commercial program support provider integration? Does it need a version upgrade? Is it running on an operating system that's still supported?
• Reliable connectivity and infrastructure: when invoice issuance must pass through an online channel, an unreliable connection or an aging computer stops being a "minor annoyance" — it becomes an obstacle to issuing an invoice at all.
• Digital archiving & backup: electronic documents must be stored securely for as many years as required. That means organized storage and backups that actually work — not a folder on one computer we "hope won't fail."
• Security: invoices contain customer details and financial data. The move to a fully digital flow is the right moment to bring access, passwords, and phishing protection into order — because scammers love transition periods, and "fake invoices" are among the most common lures.

Why you shouldn't wait until the last minute

The transitional period offers breathing room — but experience from every similar change shows the same pattern: as the final deadline approaches, accountants, providers, and technicians can't keep up, and those who moved last paid for the rush with errors and operational disruptions. Moreover, the framework has provided tax incentives for early adaptation — one more reason to discuss it with your accountant now, rather than when it's merely an obligation.

Clear roles: accountant and technical partner

To keep things straight: your accountant is responsible for the tax side — what applies to your specific business form, declarations, deadlines, incentives. Your technical partner handles implementation: software installation and integration, infrastructure, network, archiving, backup, and security. That's exactly how MyeliTech works — in cooperation with your accounting office, not in its place — so the transition happens once and correctly, through our Business IT Management service, based in Drama and covering Serres, Kavala, and all of Greece.

Want to know whether your current system is ready — and what exactly is missing if it isn't? Contact us via myelitech.gr for a quick technical readiness check, before the last-minute rush begins.