What is the ViDA Project and how will it affect us?

You've probably seen these initials in an email from your advisor, in a tax newsletter, or when talking to your software provider. And you might still not be clear on what changes and when.

ViDA reforms VAT rules in three areas, and its implementation will extend until 2035. Although it is a European regulation, its effects will also reach Spain: the Spanish Government has already brought the first part of its transposition to Congress.

In this article, we explain what ViDA is, what changes it introduces in invoicing, who will have to apply them, and how it relates to Verifactu, which is the question that always comes up when the two are mentioned together.

What is the ViDA project?

ViDA (VAT in the Digital Age) is a European legislative package that modernizes VAT rules to adapt them to digital commerce and reduce fraud.

There are three legal texts already published and in force: the Directive (EU) 2025/516, the Regulation (EU) 2025/517, and the Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/518, adopted by the Council on March 11, 2025, published in the Official Journal of the European Union on March 25, and applicable from April 14, 2025.

ViDA introduces changes in three areas: how cross-border transactions are reported to the tax authorities, who is responsible for VAT when the sale goes through a digital platform, and how many tax registrations you need to sell in multiple Member States.

Its application is not immediate, and the measures do not come into force all at once: each has its own date, so the timeline must be reviewed separately.

How do ViDA, Verifactu, and Crea y Crece differ?

It is common to find references to ViDA, Verifactu, and the Crea y Crece law together, although they do not regulate the same things.

The main difference lies in what each regulation governs:

• Verifactu regulates the requirements that certain billing software systems must meet in Spain.
• Crea y Crece establishes the obligation of electronic invoicing in Spanish B2B operations and its regulatory development.
• ViDA introduces new European VAT rules, including structured electronic invoicing and digital reporting of certain cross-border transactions.

Why is VAT changing now in the EU?

The European Commission estimates that ViDA's digital reporting measures will reduce VAT fraud by up to 11 billion euros per year, and that the simplifications will save companies over 4.1 billion annually in administrative costs over the next decade.

ViDA also aims to reduce differences between national systems. Several countries have been designing their own real-time control systems for years, each with its format and deadlines, and a company selling in five markets ended up complying with five different regulations. ViDA sets a common standard to which all these systems will have to converge.

The three main changes of ViDA

Electronic invoicing and digital reporting constitute the first and most important change. Cross-border transactions between companies will have to be documented with structured electronic invoices, and the data will be sent to the Administration almost immediately, instead of being grouped in a periodic declaration.

The regulation will also affect short-term accommodation and road passenger transport platforms, which will be considered equivalent providers. This means that if the individual or entity providing the service through the platform does not charge VAT to their clients, the platform will charge and remit it.

With this measure, the EU aims to reduce tax differences between these services and other businesses that already charge VAT, such as hotels or taxis.

Additionally, the VAT registration changes. ViDA expands the use of the one-stop shop (OSS), allowing companies to declare certain transactions from a single Member State. This is the first block of ViDA changes that Spain is transposing and will take effect from January 1, 2027.

How does the cross-border invoice change with ViDA?

This is the change that will most affect your daily routine. Today you can send your German client a PDF by email and you're done. From July 2030, cross-border B2B transactions included in the new system must be documented with a structured electronic invoice in accordance with the European standard EN 16931.

The deadline for issuing the invoice also changes. For an exempt cross-border delivery, the Tax Agency currently gives you until the 16th of the following month after the goods are dispatched or transported to issue the invoice.

For transactions included in the new digital reporting system, ViDA sets an invoice issuance deadline of up to ten days from the time the chargeable event occurs.

Moreover, the new digital reporting system will replace, for transactions within its scope, part of the information currently communicated through form 349.

Who does ViDA affect and who doesn't it?

The impact of ViDA will depend on the type of operations each company performs, especially whether or not they conduct transactions with other EU countries. The new regulation directly affects you if:

• You buy or sell goods or services to companies in other European Union countries and currently file form 349.
• You store goods in another Member State or have VAT registrations outside Spain.
• You manage a short-term rental or road passenger transport platform.
• You sell to consumers in other EU countries through the one-stop shop.

It may also affect you if:

• You only invoice within Spain: the new cross-border transaction reporting requirements coming in 2030 will not directly apply to your activity. However, in 2035, certain national digital reporting systems will have to adapt to European standards.
• You are an advisory firm, as you will need to adapt your processes and also help your clients prepare for these changes.

If you are a freelancer or SME and only conduct operations within Spain, the ViDA changes affecting cross-border transactions are not your current priority; in your case, you should pay more attention to Verifactu and B2B electronic invoicing.

What is the ViDA project timeline?

These are the main ViDA application dates, from the nearest to the furthest. They correspond to different measures, so not all affect the same companies or come into effect at the same time.

How is the transposition of ViDA going in Spain?

As it is a directive, ViDA needs to be transposed into the legislation of each Member State. Spain has started the transposition with the changes that will apply from 2027.

On November 25, 2025, the Council of Ministers approved the draft bill, and on June 16, 2026, it approved it in a second reading as a bill, which is now undergoing parliamentary processing in the Congress of Deputies.

This bill only addresses part of the changes planned for 2027: the technical adjustments to the one-stop shop regimes that apply from January 1, 2027. Among them, the extension of the Union's external regime to services provided to non-EU consumers and the obligation to appoint a representative for certain refunds.

The main changes, however, are still pending transposition in Spain. The platform rules of 2028 and the digital reporting of 2030 will require their own regulations, which have not yet been presented.

Spain already has mechanisms like the Immediate Supply of Information (SII) and Verifactu that incorporate some information supply and billing control obligations. This may facilitate part of the technological adaptation, although it will be necessary to check to what extent Spanish systems are compatible with European requirements.

What can you do now?

The main obligations of ViDA are still several years away. However, there are some things you can start reviewing now.

This quarter

• Check if you operate outside Spain. If you file form 349 or have VAT registrations in other countries, you are in the affected group.
• Verify the VAT ID of your EU clients in the VIES census and keep evidence of the consultation. With the new reporting system, having the correct data will be even more important.

Before 2027

• Comply with Verifactu on time. It is a different obligation from ViDA, but adapting your billing systems now can help you face future technological changes.
• Ask your software provider about their roadmap with ViDA, specifically about the structured electronic invoice format and cross-border reporting.

Before 2030

• Prepare the transition from PDF to structured electronic invoicing for cross-border transactions included in ViDA.
• Adjust your processes to the ten-day deadline, especially if you currently group cross-border invoicing at the end of the month.

Adapting to Verifactu can also help prepare for some of the technological changes that will come with ViDA, although both systems are not equivalent.

Holded is already fully adapted to comply with Verifactu and issues electronic invoices from the same place where you manage your accounting, which can help prepare for some of the technological changes that will come soon, although ViDA's requirements will be different.