E-invoicing is not only about sending a digital invoice, it’s also everything that happens after. In most countries, storing and archiving that invoice correctly is legally mandatory, and getting it wrong can cost you fines and audits.

If your platform issues invoices (or plans to), understanding how e-invoice archiving works is essential. Regulations are tightening in 2025 and beyond, with stricter requirements for format, duration, location, and access.

This blog breaks it all down:

What is e-invoice archiving?

What are e-invoice archiving requirements in 2025?

How does e-invoice archiving work technically?

What format do archived e-invoices need to be in?

Local vs. Cross-Border Archiving Rules

What Are Common Risks and How to Mitigate Them?

Automate E-invoice Archiving With Space Invoices

 

 

What is e-invoice archiving?

E-invoice archiving refers to securely storing electronic invoices in a compliant digital repository for the legally required retention period. It is not a backup and not optional. Once an invoice is issued, businesses are legally obligated to store it, usually for 5 to 10 years. To properly archive e-invoices, you have to:

Store them safely in formats that cannot be altered without detection.

Index each one for easy search and retrieval.

Back them up to prevent loss from hardware failure or cyberattacks.

Make them accessible upon request by auditors or tax authorities without delay.

Having a great archiving system is not only a compliance feature, but also benefits you with audits, reduces storage costs, allows you to easily access to historical invoice data and reduces a risk of lost or damaged paper invoices.

 

 

What are e-invoice archiving requirements in 2025?

Each country has different regulations, but most jurisdictions agree on three key principles for archiving: authenticity of origin (prove who issued the invoice), integrity of content (Invoice content cannot be altered after it was issued), readability over time (Ensure the invoice is still readable throughout the full retention period).

In 2025 and beyond, e-invoicing regulations will start rolling in. Many governments will start validating invoices in real time, requiring that your system:

Retains the final signed or validated version (not just your internal copy)

Archives the transmission data (proof of when or where it was delivered)

Allows tax authority access, if requested.

For businesses and SaaS platforms, this translates into the need for sophisticated archiving systems embedded within invoicing APIs and platforms.

 

 

How Does E-invoice Archiving Work Technically?

E-invoice archiving is usually part of the same software, which makes the whole process automatic. A typical flow is:

Invoice Generation: an E-invoice is created, often via an invoicing API or platform.

Validation and Approval: The invoice’s authenticity and compliance with local tax rules are verified.

Secure Storage: The invoice is stored in a tamper-evident digital archive with metadata to ensure traceability.

Indexing and Search: Invoices are indexed by invoice number, date, client, or other criteria.

Retention Management: The archive system enforces retention periods mandated, often 5 to 10 years.

Audit Access: The invoice archive provides secure, read-only access to authorized auditors and tax authorities.

Backup and Disaster Recovery: Multiple copies are maintained across locations to guard against data loss.

 

 

What format do archived e-invoices need to be in?

PDF is not an e-invoice. Many countries require invoices to be stored with timestamping, digital signatures or seals and all audit logs or access records in their original structured format, such as:

XML (UBL, Peppol BIS, FatturaPA, etc.)

EDI formats

Digitally signed PDFs, if allowed.

If your invoice was validated through a government portal or Peppol, you also need to store:

The validated version

The response or delivery confirmation

Any attachments that were part of the original document

 

 

Local vs. Cross-Border Archiving Rules

More companies are going global, but invoice archiving rules often aren’t. Some countries require invoices to be stored within national borders (or inside the EU). Others allow cloud-based storage anywhere, as long as tax authorities can access them quickly.

Here’s what this means for you:

If your platform operates across borders, you need different rules for each country

If your clients are based in strict countries, non-compliant archiving puts them at risk

If you offer invoicing as a service, you need an archiving partner built for compliance at scale, many times API’s can help you with that.

 

 

What Are Common Risks and How to Mitigate Them?

Non-compliance Fines: Failure to archive invoices properly can trigger substantial fines.

Data Breaches: Poorly secured archives risk exposing sensitive financial data.

Loss of Access: Inadequate backup strategies may result in lost records.

If you are mitigating, select a trusted e-invoicing API or platform, that offers built-in archiving compliant with your region’s regulations, encrypted storage, and robust disaster recovery.

 

 

Automate E-invoice Archiving With Space Invoices

At Space Invoices, we don’t just help you create and send e-invoices, we ensure you stay compliant long after they’re delivered.

Here’s how we make archiving effortless for platforms and software providers:

Global compliance for invoicing and archiving across 70+ countries.

Store invoices in required formats (UBL, FatturaPA, Peppol BIS…)

Automatically timestamp, sign, and validate as required

Maintain full audit trails for regulatory checks

Offer built-in archiving for 10+ years

Give your clients access to their records instantly

Whether you’re issuing invoices in Slovenia, Italy, Australia, or 70+ countries, our system knows exactly how to archive and store them. If you want to ensure full e-invoice archiving compliance, we’re ready to help.

Additional reading:

• 2030 Intra Community E-invoicing Mandatory EU ViDA
• 3 Best White-Label Invoicing APIs for B2B SaaS, Fintech, and Neobank Platforms
• Can I issue an invoice without GST New Zealand