How to active e-invoicing for consumers (B2C)

Important terminology

B2C E-Invoice (Business-to-Consumer E-Invoice)

A B2C e-invoice is an electronic invoice designed for consumers. Consumers must actively order these invoices from their Netbank. Apix facilitates the transmission of customers’ e-invoices to their intermediary bank (Nordea), which then distributes them across the bank network.

Sender Info Message (SI)

A Sender Info Message (SI) is an electronic message sent to banks to create a Sender Info Notification. This message includes crucial information about the invoicer, enabling consumers to order e-invoices directly from their Netbank. Information provided in the Sender Info Message can be updated later using Change Sender Info Messages.

Receiver Info Message (RI)

A Receiver Info Message (RI) is an electronic message generated by a consumer within their Netbank. Consumers use the RI to search for B2C e-invoicers (Sender Info Notification) from which they wish to receive e-invoices directly into their Netbank.

Opening B2C e-invoice agreement

With Apix, it’s possible to send consumer e-invoices and direct payments. An e-invoicing agreement enables electronic billing for consumers via online banking. Consumers receive e-invoices directly to their online bank, while direct payments serve customers who don’t use online banking.

Apix Messaging Oy acts as the data custodian for e-invoices and transmits company customers’ e-invoices to the banking network. By completing the e-invoice agreement, the company authorizes Apix Messaging Oy to act as its data handler. Apix Messaging can then open an e-invoice agreement for the company through the intermediary bank Nordea. Please note that e-invoicing through Apix also requires an Apix customer account.

What is a billing notification?

A billing notification is an electronic message in which the biller submits its billing information to be published in consumers’ online banking. This allows consumers to see that the biller can send e-invoices, and they can choose to subscribe to that biller’s invoices in their online bank.

Apix uses Nordea as its consumer invoice intermediary bank, so Nordea (intermediary code: NDEAFIHH) must also be included as intermediary information in the billing notification.

If e-invoicing has not been used previously, Apix will send a new billing notification (ADD message).

Billing notification details are updated using a change message, which is required if any of the following change:

  • intermediary bank,
  • account number,
  • name,
  • address, or
  • billing topic (e.g., rent, maintenance fee).

A change message cannot be used to change the billing topic code.

All change message notifications must be submitted via the current intermediary bank. For example, if a housing company changes its property manager, the change message should be made by the previous property manager.

In accordance with financial industry regulations, banks have very strict security protocols regarding billing notifications. The requirements specify that a change message can only be sent through the intermediary bank designated in the company’s existing billing notification.

Detailed opening instructions for an e-invoicing agreement

1. Complete and submit opening documents

The necessary documents and information required to open e-invoicing are detailed below. Agreements are completed in the name of the billing company, and the signatory must have the company’s signing authority.

  • Agreement on the e-invoice service for e-invoice operator’s customers
  • SOP2_Asiakassuhteen_perustaminen
  • Copy of the signatory’s ID (passport, ID card, or driver’s license)
  • Trade Register Extract
  • Information on whether the company has used e-invoicing previously (this defines the procedure for possible change messages)
  • The company’s IBAN account number

Agreements should be submitted in PDF format with attachments via the Apix support portal.

To streamline the e-invoicing setup, please ensure the following:

  1. Verify that all required documents are in PDF format, including the e-invoicing agreement, basic information form, trade register extract, and ID copy.
  2. Carefully complete all fields in the e-invoicing agreement. Ensure that Apix’s information is provided and that the customer’s EDI code is listed on the agreement.
Please ensure that Apix’s information is provided and that the customer’s sending address is listed on the agreement.

Note! Of the electronic signature services, Nordea accepts agreements signed with Procountor Signature, Docusign, Visma, SignHero, and Verified. Copies of ID documents do not need to be attached to electronically signed agreements.

1.1. Opening multiple e-invoice agreements at the same time

If you are opening e-invoice agreements for multiple companies at once, we require the documents listed in Section 1 for each company individually, as well as a table (Excel) listing the companies. The table should include the following information:

  • Name of the housing company
  • Business ID
  • Information on whether e-invoicing has previously been used by the company
  • Account number in IBAN format

Please fill in the information as accurately as possible. Incomplete information will delay the opening process.

2. Receiving, processing, and forwarding opening documents

Apix Messaging Oy processes the documents submitted by the company and forwards them to the bank to initiate the setup process.

3. Bank processes opening documents and activates e-invoicing

The bank processes the documents according to its procedures. The standard processing time is between 1–3 weeks, depending on the number of agreements. During the year-end period, service times can vary, so it’s advisable to begin the opening process well in advance.

4. Confirming the opening of e-invoicing agreements

Nordea informs Apix when the agreements are opened. Apix then notifies the company of the activation.

5. Instructing the previous operator to create change message

If the company already had e-invoicing, the change message should always be done through the previous operator and its intermediary bank.

5.1. If e-invoicing has been in use

The company requests the previous provider to send a billing notification change message through its bank once Apix has confirmed the company’s e-invoice agreement as active. All change messages must be sent through the existing intermediary bank. For this reason, the change message must be made through the previous provider. This ensures that consumers’ e-invoice subscriptions in their online banking remain valid, meaning the consumer does not need to create a new e-invoice subscription in their online banking when the provider changes.

The change message should include the following information:

  • New transmission ID = EDI code (0037 + business ID without hyphens)
  • New intermediary ID is NDEAFIHH (Nordea)

The previous provider monitors that the change messages are processed without errors by all banks; this usually takes about two banking days.

Apix must be notified once the change messages have been sent.

  • The billing subject code must also be provided to Apix so that we can add it to our system.

Once the change messages have been successfully processed, the connections for e-invoicing should be in place.

5.2. E-invoicing has not been used previously

If the company has not previously used e-invoicing, Apix can create a new billing notification.

At Apix, the new sending address for the billing notification is always the company’s EDI code (0037 + business ID without hyphens), and the new intermediary ID is always Nordea’s ID, NDEAFIHH. It takes a couple of banking days for the messages to update in the banks, after which the connections required for e-invoicing should be in place.

Opening an e-invoice agreement for a housing company

This guide uses an example where the property management company changes, while the e-invoice addresses and direct payment mandates remain unchanged. If the previous housing company uses a bank and/or e-invoicing operator other than Nordea, change messages must be sent through the previous bank. Similarly, if the sending address was in IBAN format, the change message must be sent through the previous provider, handled by the former property manager. At Apix, the sending address is always in EDI format (EDI code: 0037 + business ID without hyphens).

1. Completed agreements are submitted to Apix via the support request form:

  • The request must indicate whether the housing company has previously used e-invoicing. This determines how the change messages should be processed.
  • Additionally, the housing company’s account number is required.

2. Apix submits the agreements to the bank for activation and notifies the property manager once the service is activated.

Note: The change notice can be submitted no earlier than the banking day following the activation of the agreements, ensuring that activation information has reached all banks. The previous property manager should keep their banking connections open until they receive confirmation that Apix’s connections have been activated and the change notice can be sent.

3. Once the agreements are activated at Nordea, the previous property manager sends the change messages. Apix notifies the new property manager of the agreement’s activation, who is responsible for requesting the change messages from the previous property manager. Information needed for the change notice is provided alongside the activation notification.

The change messages update the following:

  • New transmission ID = EDI code (0037 + business ID without hyphens), entered under “new sending address.”
  • New intermediary ID NDEAFIHH (Nordea) under “new intermediary ID.”
  • The previous property manager monitors that the change messages are processed without errors at all banks, which usually takes a couple of banking days.
  • Apix must be notified once the change messages have been sent.
  • The billing subject code should also be provided to Apix so that it can be added to our system.
  • If changes are needed for identifying information on the billing notification (e.g., name, address), Apix can send an additional change notice once the billing notification intermediary has been successfully updated to Apix.

OR If there was no previous e-invoicing, Apix creates new billing notifications:

  • New transmission ID = EDI code (0037 + business ID without hyphens)
  • New intermediary ID is NDEAFIHH (Nordea)
  • For billing notifications created by Apix, the billing subject code is 1, unless otherwise specified
  • It typically takes a couple of banking days for billing notifications to process through all banks; Apix monitors that these messages are processed error-free at all banks.

4. Once the new billing notifications/change messages have been processed through the banks, the connections needed for e-invoicing are established, and e-invoice sending and new e-invoice subscriptions can begin.

Responsibilities in the e-invoicing opening process

In the case of a property management office change, four parties are involved: the previous manager, the new manager, Apix Messaging Oy, and Nordea. To complete the process efficiently and ensure e-invoicing works with the new manager’s system, each party must follow the process as described.

Previous and new manager arrange transition details. The previous manager provides the new manager with the following information:

  • E-invoice address
  • E-invoice operator
  • Billing topic code
  • Account(s) used

The previous manager is responsible for sending the change notification if e-invoicing was previously in place.

What to do if the previous manager does not submit the change message?

If the previous manager does not submit the change message or remove the old billing notification through their bank, the current manager of the property must determine if they can send change messages through the bank listed as the intermediary for the billing notifications.

Alternatively, the new manager can contact each bank individually to request the removal of old billing notifications.

Apix can also, if needed, send new billing notifications to banks in addition to the old ones. However, this will result in two billing notifications for the property in the banks. All shareholders who have subscribed to e-invoices will need to create entirely new e-invoice subscriptions for the new parallel notification.

Terminating the e-invoicing service

When a company wishes to terminate its e-invoicing service or a housing company leaves the manager’s responsibility, notify Apix via the support form.

If e-invoicing will be managed by a new manager, Apix can send Change Sender Info Messages for billing notifications to ensure e-invoice subscriptions remain active during the transition. For this, we need the updated sending address and new intermediary code for the billing notifications.

If the new manager does not implement e-invoicing, we will terminate billing notifications with Delete Sender Info Messages. This action removes the sender info notification, and any related receiver info notifications will cease.

Additional notes on e-invoicing agreements

Direct Payment Agreements

An e-invoicing agreement made with Apix also includes the option to send direct payments to consumers who do not use online banking services. The biller notifies the shareholder by mail of the direct payments, which are debited on the due date. Consumers should arrange direct payments through their bank’s customer service. Banks check direct payments more thoroughly than e-invoices, so the bill information must match the billing notification exactly from which the direct payment was ordered.

IBAN format for older billing notifications

Apix’s e-invoicing agreements with Nordea are always arranged using the EDI identifier format. If the billing notification previously used an IBAN format, the sending address must be converted to EDI format by the previous manager.

Change messages are sent by the previous manager; neither Apix nor the new manager can send change messages on behalf of the previous manager.

  • The same Financial Supervisory Authority rule applies even if Nordea remains the intermediary bank. This is because Apix does not have IBAN-formatted channels open with Nordea.

Contact Apix customer support for further assistance.