UAE E-Invoicing Knowledge Center
Accredited Service Providers, explained
Every UAE business must route e-invoices and tax data through an Accredited Service Provider. Here is what an ASP does, how it’s accredited, and how to choose one.
What an ASP is
An Accredited Service Provider (ASP) is a technical intermediary certified by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to sit between businesses and the government in the UAE’s 5-corner e-invoicing model. An ASP validates invoice data, converts it to and from the PINT-AE (Peppol International, UAE) XML standard where required, transmits invoices across the Peppol network to the counterpart’s ASP, exchanges validation acknowledgements with that ASP, and reports the required tax data to the FTA on the taxpayer’s behalf.
Both the supplier’s ASP and the buyer’s ASP perform this role independently and in parallel for every single invoice — one on the send side, one on the receive side.
Why direct FTA reporting isn't an option
How ASPs are selected and accredited
ASPs are accredited by the Ministry of Finance (MoF), which sets and monitors the technical, security, and operational standards a provider must meet before it can validate and transmit invoices or report tax data on a taxpayer’s behalf. Accreditation is an ongoing status, not a one-time badge — the MoF can monitor and withdraw it, which is why an ASP’s track record and stability matter as much as its initial certification.
Your business appoints its own ASP; the FTA does not assign one to you. That choice — and the connector quality behind it — is one of the few genuinely competitive decisions in an otherwise fixed compliance model.
What to evaluate when choosing an ASP
How Dynamics 365 connects to an ASP
Neither Dynamics 365 Business Central nor Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations natively speaks PINT-AE. Both require an integration or connector layer that sits between the ERP and the chosen ASP: this layer extracts invoice and master data from Dynamics 365, formats it for the ASP, and returns validation results and confirmations back into the ERP so your finance team has one system of truth. The maturity of that connector — not just the ASP’s own capability — is often the deciding factor in how smooth day-to-day invoicing feels after go-live.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a business be its own ASP?
No. An ASP must be accredited by the Ministry of Finance (MoF); businesses appoint an accredited third party rather than self-certifying.
Do I need a different ASP for Dynamics 365 Business Central vs Finance & Operations?
Not necessarily — many ASPs offer connectors for both, but connector maturity can differ between the two products, so it’s worth confirming support for your specific platform
What happens if my ASP loses its MoF accreditation?
You would need to appoint a newly or still-accredited ASP quickly, since an unaccredited provider cannot validate or transmit your invoices or report tax data on your behalf.
Is one ASP used for both sending and receiving invoices?
Your business uses one ASP for all its own invoicing, but the party on the other side of a transaction uses its own separately appointed ASP — that is the basis of the 5-corner model.
