How to invoice in Colombia with Cord

In Colombia the electronic sales invoice needs prior validation by the DIAN. Cord has the direct rail with the DIAN built as each business’s own software (without a technology provider), but it is being turned on: today your invoices are issued as a commercial invoice without tax validity. If you need to invoice with the DIAN from Cord, write to us to enable it on your account.

In short:

• Today: commercial invoice and commercial credit note, on every plan (10 per month on Free, unlimited from Starter). They are not submitted to the DIAN.
• Being turned on: electronic sales invoice and credit note with prior validation (Technical Annex 1.9). Under Settings › Invoicing › Tax profile › Electronic invoicing with the DIAN it reads Coming soon.
• What you will need: Starter or above, your NIT with its check digit, enabling yourself on the DIAN portal as own software with a PIN, passing the test set, a numbering resolution associated with the software and a digital signature certificate from an ONAC-accredited entity.
• Void: a validated invoice is not voided: it is adjusted with a credit note (cancellation if it credits the total, reduction if it credits part).
• Collect: in Colombia online payment is through Mercado Pago; Cord Payments is not available.

Which document Cord issues

What you will need

• Enablement with the DIAN. On the DIAN portal, Registro y habilitación › Documentos electrónicos › Factura electrónica, you choose the Software propio (own software) operating mode, name the software and set a 5-digit PIN. The DIAN assigns the software ID and a test set (TestSetId, test range with its prefix, resolution, validity and technical key).
• A numbering resolution for production, which you request from the DIAN and associate with your software.
• A digital signature certificate for e-invoicing issued to your NIT by an ONAC-accredited certification authority, with its full chain. Its cost is set by that authority.
• Enablement with the DIAN has no cost.

Set up your account (once it is turned on)

1. Under Invoice identity, enter your legal name, your NIT with its check digit and your address.
2. Under Electronic invoicing with the DIAN, complete Your business in the RUT: Type of taxpayer, VAT responsibility, Municipality of your tax address, the Tax responsibilities (box 53 of the RUT) and, optionally, Trade name, Commercial registration and Reception email registered with the DIAN.
3. Under Software and numbering: Software ID, Software PIN (5 digits), the range (resolution number, Prefix, From number, To number, Valid from, Valid until), the Technical key of the range, the Credit note prefix and whether Your 0% sales are VAT exempt or Excluded from VAT. Click Save DIAN settings. The PIN and the technical key are stored encrypted and never shown again.
4. Under Signing certificate, upload your .p12/.pfx (or certificate and key) with the intermediate and root chain if it is not in the file, and click Upload certificate.
5. Under Test set (enablement), enter the TestSetId and the number of invoices, credit notes and debit notes your set asks for, and click Send test set. Check result queries each submission. When the DIAN accepts it, you sync to production from its portal.
6. In production, enter the real resolution and click Get from the DIAN to store the range’s technical key.
7. On each client’s profile, complete Electronic invoicing data (DIAN): document type, individual or legal entity and responsibilities. A domestic client without an ID is invoiced as a final consumer.

Taxes and withholdings

• VAT per line at 19%, 5%, 16% or 0%. 0% lines go as exempt or excluded according to your choice; without it, an invoice with 0% lines is not sent.
• INC, ICUI, ICA and health taxes are not reported yet: a line with those taxes is rejected before sending.
• Withholdings: the one calculated on VAT is reported as ReteIVA and the income one (your ReteFuente profile) as ReteRenta. A withholding that cannot be classified with certainty is not reported to the DIAN, but still reduces the total in Cord.
• Another currency: an invoice outside COP declares the document’s locked rate to COP; without it, or if your ledger currency is not COP, it is not sent.

How you see the status

The invoice detail has a DIAN panel:

• Validated by the DIAN, with the CUFE.
• Waiting for the DIAN to confirm: Cord queries by the CUFE, it never resends another document.
• The DIAN rejected the document, with the reason. A rejection frees its number.

The PDF carries the CUFE in the footer of every page, the lookup QR code and the numbering authorization. More actions › Download XML delivers the container the DIAN signs (AttachedDocument), and the invoice email carries it in a .zip together with the PDF. Settings warns you when fewer than 50 numbers (or 5%) or fewer than 30 days of the resolution’s validity remain.

Void or correct

• Void: an invoice validated by the DIAN is not voided. Use More actions › Credit note: if it credits the total it carries the cancellation concept; if it credits part, the reduction concept. The note carries the invoice’s buyer, currency and rate.
• Before validation, a draft is corrected in the editor.

Common issues

• “The numbering range is used up” or “the resolution expired”. Request a new resolution from the DIAN, associate it with the software and enter it in Cord.
• Certificate rejection. Check that it comes from an ONAC-accredited entity, is issued to your NIT, has digital signature and non-repudiation, and includes the full chain.
• An invoice with 0% lines is not sent. Choose in Settings whether your 0% sales are exempt or excluded.
• The client has no NIT. They go as a final consumer; if they have a cédula, enter it on their profile.

Not covered yet

• Export invoices and contingency invoices.
• INC, ICUI, ICA, reported ReteICA, AIU, mandates, tips and document charges.
• Support document, electronic payroll and RADIAN events (acknowledgement and acceptance).
• Debit note outside the test set.

Related

• Collect with Mercado Pago
• Set up tax withholdings
• Invoicing by country in the documentation