Polish business invoices: do they still need to be stamped and signed?

I have just discovered thet according to accounting law here, invoices no longer need to be stamped and signed, It is sufficient just to send them by email. My accountant arued that this is wrong and all invoices should be signed and stamped.

Is there anyone here who can clarify this for me as it would make my life much easier if I didnt have to sign these things any more.

Yes.


I email the ones I get but my accountants want the originals.
But I email my invoices to other people and they print it, no problem.

E.U. law is changing Polish law and a lot of accountants are not aware of the changes and unwilling to change.
The accountant is probably just covering his back, if the tax office go in to check, the accountant probably thinks it would be easier for him to have the originals. Although in reality the tax office cross reference for confirmation.

Polish bureaucrats love their stamps :)

You mean this nonsense of everything being stamped in triplicate and signed was the result of law and not tradition?!

I know I have to stamp and sign my bills but they are not technically invoices. I find it hard that Poland could accept not having one or the other.

Customer has the right to expect receipt of an accurate invoice consistent with contract in a way that facilitates easy processing for payment.
The timeliness and quality of your invoice document and statements of account are part of the “brand experience” you provide your customer.
Thanks and regards

My understanding is that either:

* you have to produce a stamped/signed paper invoice

OR

* you can send an electronic invoice via email but it has to be signed with a digital signature - from the top of my head I think it's called a "bezpieczny podpis elektroniczny". This is a recently new law I believe (2007 or 2008). I looked up doing this myself and decided it wasn't worth the hassle for the small number of invoices I send each year because you have to buy an electronic certificate that needs to be renewed each year plus some other bits and pieces etc.. etc.. etc..

I have never received any invoice without either a signature or a stamp.

Hmm, but what's about if you're buying hosting from USA and get an invoice from them via e-mail. No signatures, no stamps. Can it be accounted as expenses in this case? Or I should bug my US hosting company to sign and stamp an invoice? This looks not so great...

In most developed countries people stopped using stamps 50+ years ago, so I think it's reasonable that if you have an invoice from a country other than Poland it isn't going to have a stamp on it. I think even the Urząd Skarbowy are capable of understanding that.

I suggest you print off your invoice to keep with your records though.

Well, thanks for suggestion, but what happens in real practice, just wonder. Are there credit notes in Poland (Reverse invoicing, just like in Germany, where a buyer can make an invoice on behalf of seller, so you can make an invoice yourself).