Invoicing public bodies (FACe)
Since 2013 (Law 25/2013), invoicing a Spanish public body — a city council, a regional department, a state agency — requires submitting the invoice in the Facturae format (a digitally signed XML) through FACe, the government's general entry point for invoices. A PDF is not accepted.
Aikount generates that XML for you. The full flow is three steps: download the Facturae from Aikount → sign it with AutoFirma → upload it to FACe.
Before you start
- Your complete fiscal data. In Settings → Company: tax ID (NIF), legal name, fiscal address, postal code (5 digits) and city. Aikount will tell you at download time if anything is missing.
- The body's contact card with its DIR3 codes. Edit the customer (Customers → edit → FACe · public administration section) and fill in the three codes the body gave you in the contract or tender documents:
| DIR3 code | What it is |
|---|---|
| Accounting office | The unit with the accounting function (registers the invoice). |
| Managing body | The body that approved the expense. |
| Processing unit | The unit that processes the file. |
All three are mandatory. If you don't have them, ask the body or look them up in the FACe DIR3 directory. With wrong codes, FACe will reject the invoice.
- Your digital certificate. The FNMT one (individual or company representative) or any qualified certificate — the same one you use with the AEAT.
Step 1 — Download the Facturae from Aikount
- Create and issue the invoice as usual (Create an invoice).
- Open it and click Facturae (FACe), next to "Download PDF".
- You get a
FACTURAE-<number>.xmlwith the full tax breakdown (VAT by rate, IRPF, discounts) and the body's DIR3 codes.
If any required field is missing, Aikount tells you exactly which one ("your company's postal code is missing", "FACe requires all three DIR3 codes…") instead of letting FACe bounce the file with a cryptic error.
Step 2 — Sign with AutoFirma
- Download AutoFirma (free, from the Spanish government) at firmaelectronica.gob.es and install it.
- Open AutoFirma and select the downloaded XML (or drag it into the window).
- AutoFirma detects it is an electronic invoice and automatically applies the Facturae signature format. Pick your certificate and sign.
- You get a
.xsigfile — that is the signed invoice FACe understands.
Step 3 — Upload to FACe
- Go to face.gob.es → Remitir factura and identify yourself with your certificate or Cl@ve.
- Attach the
.xsigand submit. - Save the registration number FACe returns: it is your proof of submission, and you can track the status (registered → booked → paid) on the portal with it.
Common errors
- "The DIR3 codes do not exist or are not related" — double-check the three codes on the customer card; they must match the contract/tender exactly.
- Tax-ID rejection — the issuer NIF in the XML must match the certificate you sign with.
- Address data — FACe requires address, 5-digit postal code and town for both the issuer and the body.
Today Aikount generates the Facturae unsigned (the signature stays in your hands, with your certificate, via AutoFirma). Server-side signing and direct submission to FACe are on the roadmap — if you need them, write to [email protected]: it helps us prioritize.