Verifactu for restaurants: what it is and how to prepare
Verifactu is the name for the Spanish regulation that requires billing systems to produce tamper-proof records. For a restaurant it means one concrete thing: the software you issue receipts with has to meet certain technical requirements. This guide sums up, jargon-free, what changes and how to be ready in time.
01What Verifactu is, in one sentence
It is the anti-fraud regulation that requires every invoice or receipt to be recorded in a chained, unalterable way, so a sale cannot be deleted or edited after the fact. The system chains each record to the previous one with a hash, adds a signature and a code that can be checked (usually a QR on the receipt itself).
02Who it affects and from when
It affects most businesses that issue invoices or receipts with software, and hospitality is squarely inside. The mandatory dates have shifted over time, so the sensible thing is not to wait until the last day: if your POS is ready, the change is transparent for you. Always check the tax authority’s current calendar and, if you have an accountant, confirm your case with them.
03What your POS has to do
In practice, your receipt software must: generate a record for each sale, chain it to the previous one, sign it, keep those records and allow them to be checked. All of that happens under the hood, without your staff doing anything different when taking payment. What matters to you is that the software does it out of the box and stays updated.
04Verifactu is not the same as TicketBAI
If you operate in the Basque Country or Navarre, the system is TicketBAI, with its own deadlines and format. Verifactu is the regime for the rest of the territory. Good hospitality software abstracts this difference away and applies the one that corresponds to where you pay tax.
05How to get ready without the stress
First, ask your POS provider how and when it will adapt to Verifactu, and get the answer in writing. Second, keep your tax ID (NIF) and tax details at hand to activate it. Third, once it is active, make a test sale and check that the receipt includes the verification QR code. And fourth, keep your records.
06Verifactu status in Tablezio
Verifactu in Tablezio is in development. The POS can already generate hash-chained billing records, but it does not submit them to the Spanish tax agency (AEAT) yet, so today it is not a valid Verifactu system and should not be used as one. We are working to have it ready for the 2027 obligation.
Verifactu sounds like paperwork, but for you it comes down to one decision: use a POS that is adapted before your obligation starts. Ask your provider where they stand and confirm your deadlines with your accountant.