e-Invoice e-Archive
Software

An e-Fatura is an invoice that carries the same legal status as a paper invoice, issued electronically in UBL-TR 2.1 format and delivered between buyer and seller through the GİB system. It is not a new type of document; it is simply the digital form of the existing invoice.

An e-Fatura is exchanged mutually through GİB when the buyer is also registered for e-Fatura. An e-Arşiv invoice, on the other hand, is issued when the buyer is not an e-Fatura taxpayer (an end consumer or an unregistered company); it is reported to GİB and delivered to the customer by email/PDF or as a paper printout.

Taxpayers exceeding a certain turnover threshold, along with those operating in sectors such as fuel, tobacco, fruit and vegetable brokerage, and e-commerce that GİB has brought into scope by communiqué, are required to use e-Fatura. Since the current turnover threshold changes with new communiqués, the legislation must be monitored.

A private integrator is an intermediary authorized by GİB with the right to create, send, and store documents such as e-Fatura, e-Arşiv, and e-Defter on behalf of the taxpayer. Companies that do not want to build their own IT infrastructure, or that issue high volumes of invoices, run the process quickly through a private integrator.

First, a financial seal (for legal entities) or an electronic signature (for individuals) is obtained, then a method is chosen: direct integration, the GİB portal, or a private integrator. When working with a private integrator such as ELPO, the application, setup, and ERP integration are carried out together with the integrator.

An e-İrsaliye is the electronic equivalent of the paper dispatch note issued during the shipment of goods. It is created electronically at the moment of dispatch and delivered through the GİB system, digitizing logistics and warehouse processes.

An e-Defter is the keeping of the journal and the general ledger in electronic form. The certificates (berat) are submitted to GİB, eliminating the obligation to have physical books notarized and stored.

Integrators authorised by the Turkish Revenue Administration (GİB) include ELPO Bilişim, Logo (e-Logo), Uyumsoft, İzibiz, Sovos Foriba, EDM Bilişim, Digital Planet and Nesbilgi; the binding, current list is published at ebelge.gib.gov.tr and that is the first place to check. What sets ELPO apart: credits are sold in packages with no monthly fee or setup fee, and credits stay valid for two years; e-Fatura, e-Arşiv, e-İrsaliye, e-SMM and e-Müstahsil run under one roof; and documents are validated against the UBL-TR 2.1 schema in its own engine, with the rendered view checked for consistency against the data. Being able to buy forecourt automation and e-document service from the same company is also particular to ELPO.

There is no single best integrator; check five things against your own needs. 1) GİB authorisation: the company's legal name must be on GİB's private integrator list ("GİB approved" in an advert is not enough). 2) Archiving and access: documents must stay accessible for the whole legal retention period, and the export format at the end of the contract should be agreed at the start. 3) Document types: e-Fatura, e-Arşiv and e-İrsaliye in one account, so a new obligation does not mean a second provider. 4) ERP connection: a ready connection or published API for the accounting or ERP software you use (SAP included). 5) Price basis: credits or monthly fee, and the annual total for your own document count. ELPO Bilişim is on GİB's list, offers five document types in one account, charges no monthly or setup fee and keeps credits valid for two years. The full checklist of seven questions is in our guide "What Is a Private Integrator in Turkey?".

They are largely different names for the same work. e-Belge is GİB's umbrella term for every document type issued electronically: e-Fatura, e-Arşiv, e-İrsaliye, e-SMM, e-Müstahsil and the rest. e-Fatura is the most common of them and in everyday speech often stands in for all of them. A private integrator (or simply integrator) is the GİB-authorised company that exchanges those documents with GİB on the taxpayer's behalf. So someone searching for an "e-invoice company", an "e-document provider" or a "private integrator" is looking for the same service. ELPO Bilişim provides it under GİB authorisation.

At a station the invoice has to match the sale that came off the pump exactly; otherwise someone reconciles automation against accounting by hand every day. The right setup is therefore one where the automation and the e-document side share the same data: pump sale, plate, vehicle identification and shift information reach the invoice from their source. Because ELPO builds both sides itself, forecourt automation and the integrator service can come from one company; and since EPDK 1240 compliance and the GİB side sit with the same team, a regulatory change does not mean waiting on two separate suppliers.

First you obtain a financial seal (legal entities) or a qualified electronic signature (individuals). You then apply through GİB's e-Document portal and pick a method: direct integration, the GİB portal, or a private integrator. Working with ELPO, the application, the GİB registration and the ERP connection are handled together; once the registration is active, issuing begins. The financial seal is applied for through Kamu SM and delivery time varies with demand.

The GİB portal is free but requires manual entry and does not connect to an ERP; it works at low volume. Private integrator service is paid. At ELPO you buy a credit package and each document you send consumes one credit; there is no monthly fee or setup fee, and credits stay valid for two years. When comparing, work out your annual document count together with the licence and renewal items you pay outside the credits — that is usually where the difference appears.

There are two routes. If you have an ERP or accounting program, the invoice is created there as usual and the integrator converts it to UBL-TR 2.1 and delivers it to GİB in the background — no extra step for the user. Without an ERP, the invoice is created in the integrator's web portal. In both, if the buyer is an e-Fatura taxpayer the document travels through GİB; if not, it is issued as an e-Arşiv, reported to GİB and sent to the customer by e-mail or PDF.

It is mandatory for taxpayers above a turnover threshold and for the sectors GİB brings into scope by communiqué: fuel, tobacco, fruit and vegetable brokerage, e-commerce and similar groups. The threshold changes with communiqués, so the legislation has to be tracked. If you are outside the mandatory scope you can still switch voluntarily; combined with e-Arşiv it removes the paper invoice process entirely.

Yes. ELPO's REST API is ERP-independent; it accepts JSON or UBL XML and works with Turkish and foreign programs. A single webhook into your existing system is enough for most installations, and the steps from issuing to delivery at GİB run automatically. If you are a software company you can also offer it under your own brand in white-label mode. If your program is not on the list, an integration document and a test environment are opened.

No, they are two layers. A pre-accounting program keeps the daily commercial records: accounts, stock, cash, collections, quotes. An e-invoicing program converts the issued invoice to UBL-TR 2.1 and exchanges it with GİB. Some vendors sell both in one package; ELPO specialises on the e-document side and leaves pre-accounting and ERP to the program you choose. Your current pre-accounting program stays, and invoices reach GİB through ELPO in the background. If you have no pre-accounting system, you can also issue invoices from ELPO's own portal.

For an SME with low volume, issuing from the portal is enough; with an ERP, a single webhook connects it. Accountants manage several taxpayers from one panel, with no need for a separate account per client. In e-commerce, hundreds of documents a day make the buyer distinction matter: if the buyer is an e-Fatura taxpayer, an e-Fatura is issued, otherwise an e-Arşiv; the buyer's status is checked with the Taxpayer Query (Mükellef Sorgu) tool in the portal.