Documents

Documents is the collective term for the files that you create to represent your e-invoices and credit notes.

Elements

Elements are the XML tags that are used to model information in VRBL.

For example AllowanceCharge is the element used to model Allowances and Charges. Each element has a reference topic like AllowanceCharge and then usually some more business centric topics like Allowances and Charges.

VRBL

The Vertex Universal Standard (VRBL) is the business language format for the Documents that you send to Vertex e-Invoicing. VRBL is based on Universal Business Language (UBL). All inbound Documents must be sent in VRBL.

The VRBL Reference Guide describes the components, including Receivers, Attributes, Example Documents, Country Specific Configurations, Elements, and Extensions.

The source of an element can be identified from the prefix:

• ubl originate in Universal Business Language (UBL) .
• vrbl are extensions that are exclusive to VRBL.

For example:

/ubl:Invoice/cec:UBLExtensions/cec:UBLExtension/cec:ExtensionContent/vrbl:InvoiceExtension/vrbl:RoutingDetails/vrbl:Receiver

Some countries use only UBL and PEPPOL with no extensions, like Belgium. Some countries, like Italy, use their own format. These details are provided in the country's overview topic, for example, Italy: Overview. A list of the formats used by all supported countries is provided in the Supported Countries topic.

Universal Business Language (UBL)

VRBL uses Universal Business Language (UBL) and custom extensions to create the format for the Document files. You can find out more about UBL here.

All files are UBL 2.4 compliant by the time of the final submission to the Tax Authorities.

When you create your Documents in VRBL, this is mapped to the UBL 2.4 standard by Vertex e-Invoicing.

Many countries also use UBL as the basis of their own formatting. You can see the details in the Supported Countries topic.

Pan-European Public Procurement On-Line (PEPPOL)

Some countries use PEPPOL. This is a framework or network used for the transfer of electronic files. For more information about PEPPOL, see Peppol PINT.

Similar to the UBL-based countries, you must submit your documents in VRBL where it is transformed into the PEPPOL-based format for the country.

Extensions

Where needed, the standard VRBL elements can be extended using VRBL Extensions. An overview of how these work is provided in the Extensions topic. You can find a list of all extensions and topics on each in the Extensions Refence Guide.

Country-specific configurations

Some countries require specific configurations. These are listed in the Country Specific Configurations topic.

How VRBL is processed

This is a simplified process to show how the service transforms input Documents for submission to the Tax Authorities:

1. The user uses the Send Document request to send a Document to Vertex e-Invoicing, in this case, an invoice for Italy. See Italy: Example Documents.
2. The service checks the validity of the XML. If any errors are found, messages are returned to explain them. See Document Status Fields.
3. The service checks that the document is valid for UBL 2.4.
4. The Document is checked against VRBL core. The VRBL Core Messages are returned in case of issues.
5. The Document is checked against the country-specific rules for Italy. The Italy: Messages are returned in case of issues.

The Document is now ready for submission to the Tax Authority. A final check is carried out to make sure that the Document is valid.

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