Electronic invoicing in Panama: who is obliged and how to start
What it is, who must already use it, what a PAC is, what the CUFE is and what it costs. With the rules in force since 1 January 2026, and their sources.
Updated: 4 October 2026 · Sources: DGI, Law 256/2021, Decree 766/2020, Resolution 201-6299/2025
What is electronic invoicing in Panama?
It is the DGI system (SFEP) in which every invoice is issued as an electronic document, validated on the spot and given a unique code (CUFE). It replaces the fiscal printer.
Law 256 of 26 November 2021 made the invoice (or equivalent document) mandatory for every transfer of goods and services and formalized the Sistema de Facturación Electrónica de Panamá (SFEP) as the method. Since then the DGI has made it mandatory group by group. The invoice is no longer a piece of paper you print: it is a document that the DGI or an authorized provider validates before it reaches your customer, usually by email as a PDF with its code.
Source: Law 256 of 26 November 2021; DGI, "¿Cómo ser emisor de factura electrónica?" (dgi.mef.gob.pa).
Who is obliged to invoice electronically?
Today, almost every new business and most existing ones: new RUCs, State suppliers, former fiscal-equipment exemption holders, and since 2026 anyone above the free invoicer's limits.
- Since 2022: new RUCs issue electronic invoices from day one.
- 31 October 2022: State suppliers use the SFEP as their exclusive method (Resolution 201-5215 of 19 July 2022).
- 1 March 2024: fiscal-equipment exemption certificates expire; their holders — professionals and service providers — migrate to the SFEP (Resolution 201-0418 of 18 January 2024).
- 1 January 2026: Resolution 201-6299 limits the free invoicer to those who meet both conditions: annual gross income up to B/. 36,000 and up to 100 documents a month. Exceed either and you must contract a PAC.
If you still use a fiscal printer and are in none of those groups, check with your accountant when your turn comes: the direction is a single one, toward everyone.
Sources: Law 256/2021; DGI Resolution 201-5215 of 19 Jul 2022; DGI Resolution 201-0418 of 18 Jan 2024; DGI Resolution 201-6299 of 29 Jul 2025 (in force 1 Jan 2026).
Free DGI invoicer or a PAC?
Calculator: free invoicer or PAC?
Two questions, no sign-up, nothing is sent. The 2026 rule requires both conditions to stay on the free invoicer.
What is a PAC?
A Proveedor de Autorización Calificado: a company authorized by the DGI that receives your invoice, validates it and assigns the CUFE. Your invoicing system connects to one.
Executive Decree 766 of 29 December 2020 created the role. You do not talk to the DGI directly: your system sends the invoice to the PAC, the PAC authorizes it in seconds and returns the document with its code. That is why business software needs to "connect to a PAC" to issue invoices.
| DGI free invoicer | PAC | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can | Up to B/. 36,000 a year and up to 100 documents a month | Anyone; mandatory above either limit |
| How you issue | By hand, on the DGI portal, one invoice at a time | From your system (sales, point of sale, quotes) |
| Cost | Free | Charged by the PAC, per document or per bundle |
| Electronic signature | No certificate of your own | Requires an electronic-signature certificate |
Source: Executive Decree 766 of 29 December 2020; DGI official PAC list (dgi-fep.mef.gob.pa).
What is the CUFE?
The Código Único de Factura Electrónica: a non-repeating code that identifies every SFEP document. You do not generate it; the free invoicer or your PAC assigns it when the invoice is valid.
If an invoice has no CUFE, it does not exist for the DGI. Anyone can look up a CUFE on the DGI portal to confirm an invoice is real — the way to verify a supplier invoice before paying it.
How do I start? The 5 steps
- Pick the modality with the calculator above: free invoicer or PAC.
- Register in the SFEP with the DGI through the adoption sworn declaration in eTax 2.0, stating the modality.
- If you go with a PAC: obtain an electronic-signature certificate from a certification provider registered with the Dirección Nacional de Firma Electrónica of Panama's Registro Público, and contract at least one PAC from the official list.
- Update your RUC in eTax 2.0 with the new invoicing method.
- Connect your system to the PAC and issue a test invoice before the first real one.
Sources: DGI, "¿Cómo ser emisor de factura electrónica?"; Executive Decree 766/2020.
What does electronic invoicing cost?
The DGI invoicer is free. With a PAC you pay the provider per document or per bundle, plus the signature certificate; the software you sell with may or may not include it.
Ask the PAC for its per-document rate and how many documents the base bundle includes; compare that with the documents you issue per month — the number you already typed into the calculator.
What if I make a mistake on an invoice?
An electronic invoice is not edited. Within the window set by the DGI's technical sheet it is cancelled — notifying the buyer and the PAC —; after that window, it is corrected with an electronic credit or debit note.
That is why the invoice should come out of the sale once it is closed, not before.
Source: Executive Decree 766/2020; SFEP technical sheet (DGI).
In Tadpole, the electronic invoice comes out of the same sale — counter, table or quote — with RUC, DV, ITBMS and CUFE, through an authorized PAC. You can cancel it within the window, email it and look up any CUFE from inside the system.
See how Tadpole invoicesFrequently asked questions
Can I keep using a fiscal printer?
Only if you are not yet in an obliged group. Since 2022 new RUCs invoice electronically from day one, State suppliers since October 2022, and holders of fiscal-equipment exemption certificates since March 2024.
What is the DGI?
The Dirección General de Ingresos of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Panama's tax authority. It runs the electronic invoicing system (SFEP).
What is the ITBMS rate?
7% general; 10% for alcoholic drinks and lodging; 15% for tobacco products (article 1057-V of the Tax Code). Medicines, basic foods, medical and educational services, public transport, residential water and electricity are exempt. Confirm your case with your accountant.
Are there fines for not invoicing electronically?
Yes. Law 256 of 2021 sets fines of B/. 500 to 1,000 for minor infractions, B/. 5,000 to 10,000 for serious ones and B/. 10,000 to 25,000 plus temporary closure on repeat, for not invoicing as the law requires. The buyer also loses the ITBMS credit on that purchase.
How do I check that a supplier invoice is real?
Look up its CUFE on the DGI portal. If it does not appear, the invoice was never authorized.
Sources: DGI – Normativa y bases legales FE (dgi.mef.gob.pa) · Law 256 of 26 Nov 2021 · Executive Decree 766 of 29 Dec 2020 · DGI Resolutions 201-5215/2022, 201-0418/2024, 201-6299/2025 · Tax Code art. 1057-V. Reviewed 3 October 2026. This guide informs; it does not replace your accountant.