ZATCA QR code requirements: what the code does
The QR code is the machine-readable part of the invoice. Instead of someone reading numbers by eye, a phone or a checking device scans the code and gets the invoice's key data. In Phase 2 it comes with a cryptographic stamp that signs the invoice itself, and both are part of the e-invoice ZATCA defines.
What matters in practice: the simplified invoice, the one you issue to individuals at a restaurant, café or shop, must carry the code. ZATCA lists leaving it out as a violation that starts with a warning to the business, with a heavier penalty if it repeats.
Phase 1 versus Phase 2
The code has been there since Phase 1, which applies to every VAT-registered business since 4 December 2021. In Phase 2 the invoice is issued as XML to the UBL 2.1 standard with a cryptographic stamp and a QR code, and then connects to the Fatoora platform. The exact fields of the code are set in ZATCA's guidelines, and we don't list them here because we can't confirm them from ZATCA's public pages. Check the official guide or ask your POS provider which version it implements.
A two-minute check before you open
Before opening, ring up a test sale, print its receipt and check the following:
- The code is on the printed receipt, not only on the screen.
- It isn't so small that it won't scan, and it has white space around it.
- The print is dark enough. Cheap thermal paper or faint print loses the code.
- A phone scans it on the first try without moving back and forth.
- The receipt isn't cropped: the code isn't cut at the edge of the paper.
Why the code goes missing or won't scan
- A printer set to a paper width that isn't the real roll width, so the code is clipped on one side.
- An old Bluetooth printer that prints images at low resolution.
- An old system that never adds the code to the simplified invoice.
- A dirty print head that breaks up the lines of the code.
- A photocopied receipt instead of one printed from the original invoice.
The code and a dropped connection
Peak hour, weak signal in the mall, a line out the door. The question is whether the code needs a connection. In CashHub the device signs the invoice and adds the code itself, so it works offline, and the invoice is saved on the device and synced when the connection returns, with no loss or duplicates. That is a separate matter from connecting invoices to ZATCA.
The code on standard invoices
The code isn't only for simplified invoices. In Phase 2 every e-invoice is issued with a cryptographic stamp and a QR code, including the standard invoice you issue to companies. If you print one and see no code, the setup is incomplete, so go back to the same two-minute check.
How CashHub handles the code
CashHub is built on the Phase 2 requirements. Connecting to the Fatoora platform is done with you during setup, with no technical configuration on your side. The device signs every invoice and adds the QR code itself, and invoices are chained and can't be deleted. It prints on network, Bluetooth or USB printers, or on a POS terminal's built-in printer. Run a test invoice on any new printer before relying on it during service.
Sources: ZATCA announcement of e-invoicing violations and fines · ZATCA e-invoicing roll-out phases
Frequently asked questions
Is a QR code mandatory on every invoice?
The simplified tax invoice must carry it, and leaving it out is a listed violation that starts with a warning. In Phase 2 the e-invoice also comes with a cryptographic stamp and a code.
What happens if my invoices have no code?
Per ZATCA's announcement the penalty starts with a warning to the business and rises with repetition. Fix the setup before it repeats.
How many fields are in the code, and which?
We don't list the number or order of fields, because ZATCA's guidelines define them and we can't confirm them from its public pages. The official guide is the reference.
Does the code work without internet?
In CashHub, yes. The device signs the invoice and adds the code itself, then saves the invoice on the device and syncs it later.
Which printer should I use?
CashHub prints on network, Bluetooth and USB printers and on built-in POS terminal printers. Print clarity is what counts, so test an invoice before relying on a printer.
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