UAE Procurement and Compliance Teams

How do UAE businesses evaluate ASP candidates against MoF accreditation criteria?

UAE businesses must verify that candidate ASPs hold current ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO 22301 certifications, active OpenPeppol membership, UAE legal incorporation with minimum AED 50,000 paid-up capital, and documented two years of operational e-invoicing experience. These are the MoF's minimum mandatory accreditation criteria, and engaging a non-accredited provider renders issued invoices legally invalid.

What mandatory accreditation checks must be completed?

Before signing an ASP contract, businesses must independently verify: (1) current ISO/IEC 27001 certification (valid, not expired, with scope covering e-invoicing data processing); (2) current ISO 22301 certification (valid, with business continuity plan reviewed); (3) active OpenPeppol network membership (verifiable via OpenPeppol's public member directory); (4) UAE commercial registration and evidence of minimum AED 50,000 paid-up capital; (5) two years of documented e-invoicing operational history (customer references or case studies); (6) data residency confirmation that all invoice data will be processed and stored within UAE territory; (7) confirmation that 100 free invoices per year will be provided.

  • Download and verify ISO 27001 and ISO 22301 certificates (check expiry dates)
  • Search OpenPeppol member directory for provider name
  • Request UAE commercial registration extract (trade license)
  • Request proof of paid-up capital (audited accounts or bank statement)
  • Request three customer references with e-invoicing operational evidence
  • Review data residency policy and UAE data center confirmation
  • Confirm 100 free invoice annual allowance in contract

What operational factors should be evaluated beyond mandatory criteria?

Beyond mandatory accreditation checks, businesses should evaluate: integration method and connector availability for their specific ERP (SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, NetSuite); API documentation quality and sandbox testing environment availability; rejection handling SLA and root cause reporting; MLS acknowledgment speed; pricing model (per-transaction vs subscription); customer support coverage hours given UAE business hours; and contractual provisions for accreditation loss or ASP business discontinuation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the MoF's list of accredited ASPs publicly available?
The UAE Ministry of Finance has indicated that a list of pre-approved and accredited ASPs will be published as part of the programme implementation. Businesses should consult the official MoF e-invoicing programme pages for the current accredited provider registry before engaging any ASP.
What contract provisions should UAE businesses insist on with their ASP?
Key contract provisions include: service level agreements for TDD submission and MLS relay; accreditation maintenance obligations (ASP must notify client immediately if ISO certification or OpenPeppol membership lapses); data portability clauses (ability to export invoice archive and migrate to new ASP); indemnification for non-compliance resulting from ASP failure; and specified notice periods for service termination.

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