UAE VAT has applied at a standard rate of 5% since 1 January 2018. A full tax invoice generally shows the words “Tax Invoice”, the supplier’s name, address and Tax Registration Number (TRN), the recipient’s details, a sequential invoice number, the date, a description of what was supplied, and the VAT rate and amount in AED. AlFasil extracts all of these into a spreadsheet.
What AlFasil checks on UAE invoices
- TRN format: a UAE TRN has 15 digits. A short or mistyped TRN is flagged.
- VAT rate: 5% (or 0% for zero-rated supplies). Anything else is flagged as unusual.
- VAT math: VAT must equal 5% of the taxable amount, within rounding.
- Totals: lines → subtotal → VAT → total in AED.
- Duplicates: the same supplier, invoice number and total can’t slip in twice.
Bilingual invoices
Many UAE invoices are printed in Arabic and English. AlFasil keeps names as printed and normalizes Arabic digits and the د.إ symbol to AED.
Simplified tax invoices and receipts
Retail receipts may be simplified tax invoices without the buyer’s details. AlFasil records them as receipts and doesn’t flag a missing invoice number.
E-invoicing
The UAE is introducing mandatory e-invoicing in phases from 2027 (see UAE e-invoice XML to Excel). Until your suppliers send structured e-invoices, PDFs and paper remain the norm — and AlFasil turns them into data. When you do receive the XML, AlFasil reads it exactly. Check the Ministry of Finance and the Federal Tax Authority for the current rules; this page is general information, not tax advice.