How to invoice

The department of finance of the City of Ghent prefers to receive its incoming invoices digitally, for the different companies it services: City of Ghent, OCMW Ghent, Sociaal Verhuurkantoor Ghent, AG Kunsten en Design, AG Erfgoed, AG District 09, Hulpverleningszone Centrum and Politiezone Ghent.

Electronic invoicing offers benefits: abolishment of costs for paper, envelopes and postal services, reduction of costs and time to make and send invoices, eliminate the risk of invoices getting lost, digital and automated processing, faster payment.

How to send invoices?

E-Invoicing via Mercurius

You send us your invoices via the Mercurius/Magda platform of the Federal en Flemish Government. These e-invoices are electronic invoice messages in a standardized format (XML UBL2.1 format “PEPPOL”).

Increasingly, local governments join this platform and Ghent wishes to be on the forefront of this. This way of invoicing offers several benefits, sometimes combined with e-ordering (purchase orders sent digitally) and facilitates a maximally automated process.
However, this method demands a certain amount of ICT effort. It’s an option to consult the market for available solutions that offer this method as a service, the so-called “service providers” and their applications. As a supplier you deliver invoices through an “access point” (e.g. a service provider), in the XML UBL2.1 format (as determined by the CNBII group, in preparation of the EU norm). More information can be found at the website of the Flemish Community.

Here you can find the business rules document for E-Invoicing.

PDF by mail

When E-Invoicing via Mercurius is not an option, you can send a PDF invoice to the designated email address of one of our 7 companies.

To send your invoice successfully, follow these simple steps:

• Send your invoice as a PDF attachment to an email.
• The email contains just one PDF attachment.
• The PDF attachment contains only one invoice.
• Other attachments can be added, as long as they aren’t PDF files.
• For multiple invoices, send separate emails with PDF attachments.
• Send your email to the correct email address.
• Do not additionally send the invoice in a paper version over mail.
• Conform to the general requirements for invoices.
• Send a separate invoice for separate purchase orders, do not combine them.

Only digital invoices that correspond to the above requirements will be accepted. When your email doesn’t it will be automatically rejected. In that case you will receive an automated response stating the reason for rejection.

Only send invoices to the email addresses below, no other documents (questions, catalogues, reminders, advertisements…). The automated process will not accept these emails, they will not be processed. Do not send invoices to other email addresses than the ones below.

When above requirements can’t be met?

Send your paper invoice by mail. Invoices by mail are sent to the registered offices (see postal addresses below). Do not send invoices to the delivery addresses.

Add the purchase order number on your invoice. This allows for faster payment. Send only one copy of your invoice.

Where to send questions and reminders?

Send questions and reminders (no invoices!) to the email addresses below:

Invoice requirements and legal payment terms

Invoice requirements

What information does your invoice need to contain? VAT liable or not?

VAT liable supplier

If you have a VAT number, following the requirements of the VAT legislation is mandatory.

• Mention the correct VAT percentage on your invoice.
• When no VAT is charged, mention the correct exemptions on your invoice
• Mention the purchase order number.

Not-VAT liable supplier

Mention at least the information below:

• Name
• Address
• Bank account number (IBAN)
• Invoice date
• Our purchase order number
• Description and date of the delivery/service
• Amount

Add the purchase order number on your invoice. This allows for faster payment. Send a separate invoice for separate purchase orders, do not combine them.

Legal payment term

For most deliveries and services, the standard legal payment term is 30 days, following the invoice date.

The legal payment term for building works is 30 days following the request for an invoice by the City of Ghent (end of the verification period).

Erroneous payments to City of Ghent

You made a payment to the City of Ghent by mistake? An amount was withdrawn from your account, by the City of Ghent? You request a refund or more information?

What is an erroneous payment?

• You payed an amount twice?
• You payed an amount to the City of Ghent that wasn’t intended for us?
• There was an automatic withdrawal from your account by the City of Ghent (e.g. a direct debit for your child’s school)?

What information is needed to get a refund?

For both the demand to get additional information about a payment or the request for a quick and correct refund, the following information is needed:

• First name and family name
• Your address
• Details about the amount
• Your bank account number from which the payment was executed (IBAN)
• Our bank account number on which the payment was executed (IBAN)
• Date of the payment
• The (structured) communication of the payment