Knowledge Base
    e-invoicing

    IRN (Invoice Reference Number)

    A 64-character hash returned by a tax authority's Invoice Registration Portal that uniquely identifies a cleared structured invoice. Used by India GST (NIC IRP), Nigeria FIRS (MBS), and Ghana GRA.

    More Details

    The IRN is generated by the authority's portal from the invoice's structured payload and a digital signature; without it the invoice is not legally valid. In India, the IRN comes with a signed QR; in Nigeria, with the FIRS verification QR; in Ghana, with the GRA e-VAT signature. The IRN is printed on the invoice issued to the buyer.

    Related Terms

    QR-coded Tax InvoiceXAdES (XML Advanced Electronic Signatures)UBL 2.1 (Universal Business Language)

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