With all the spotlight shining on e-invoicing, the project team carrying out implementation would definitely come across this relatively new terminology (at least to many) ~ Digital Certificate. Most understand that this certificate is required to proceed with full implementation of e-invoicing, but yet they know little about what it is, how to obtain, where to purchase etc.
What is Digital Certificate
Digital certificate is simply a digital identification, similar to our IC, driver’s license, passport etc. It is required to prove your identity electronically. There are broadly two types of certificates offered i.e. the soft and roaming type.
- Soft certificate – This certificate will integrate with your ERP/ middleware to allow documents to be digitally signed before submission to IRB.
- Roaming certificate – This certificate allows storage by the certificate providers and allows streamlining if your business has multiple systems / servers.
Do we really need a Digital Certificate?
There are two methods of submitting e-invoicing, either via the MyInvois portal provided by the IRB for free, or via middleware.
Taxpayers are not required to purchase a new Digital Certificate if the submission of e-invoices are made directly via the MyInvois portal. However, if the submission is to be done via any middleware, a new Digital Certificate is required for e-invoice submission purposes.
Where and how do we obtain a Digital Certificate?
A digital certificate can be purchased from any of the service providers listed on the MCMC website. Refer to this link. The price of Digital Certificate, as published by Pos Digicert Sdn Bhd is RM1,500 for a soft certificate and RM15,000 for a roaming certificate.
It is generally offered for a period validity of 1 year. The validity period can be extended up to 3 years upon request if you prefer to reduce administrative work of reinstalling / reconfiguring every time the Digital Certificate expires.
Do we need to purchase individual Digital Certificate for every company?
It is common for those involved with many companies to consider whether individual Digital Certificate is required for each company, as the acquisition cost would then multiply to a significant amount.
This has been clarified whereby a group of companies is allowed to appoint an intermediary company to submit on behalf. In this case, only one Digital Certificate should be purchased by the intermediary company.
For a more detailed information on e-invoicing, kindly refer to this link.
