Lifecycles

Clearance status flow

After you submit an invoice, it moves through the following statuses until it reaches a final state. This flow applies to all outbound document types.


Status	completed	Meaning	Action
Transmitted	false	Submitted to KSeF, awaiting response.	Continue polling.
Authorized	true	KSeF issued the clearance data.	Stop polling.
Rejected	true	Validation failed.	Review errors, fix the invoice, resubmit as a new document.
Unavailable	true	All retry attempts exhausted.	Resubmit as a new document when KSeF becomes available.

Standard invoice lifecycle

Submit the invoice to Sovos. Sovos transforms it to FA(3) format and submits to KSeF.
KSeF validates the invoice structure, tax calculations, and business rules.
KSeF issues the KSeF reference number. The invoice is now legally valid.
Retrieve status notifications for your invoices.

Most invoices authorize within the first 90 seconds. Extended processing can occur during peak periods or maintenance windows.

For the submission API call, see Submit an invoice.

Offline invoice lifecycle

Use offline mode to deliver invoices before KSeF clearance, during connectivity problems, or when KSeF is unavailable.

Set Transmission.OperationType=Offline in the SBD, or use an invoice date earlier than the submission date.
Sovos generates two QR codes immediately without contacting KSeF.
Deliver the invoice to your buyer with both QR codes within the applicable deadline.
Sovos submits to KSeF and retries automatically on failure.
KSeF authorizes the invoice. It gets a KSeF reference number.

Important: Online mode invoices fail permanently if KSeF is unavailable. Automatic retry applies only to offline mode.

For offline mode types, submission deadlines, retry tables, and delivery requirements by buyer type, see Offline mode and retry behavior.

Corrective invoice lifecycle

A corrective invoice (Faktura korygujaca) adjusts or reverses a previously authorized invoice. It follows the same clearance flow as a standard invoice and gets its own KSeF reference number after authorization.

As a prerequisite, the original invoice must already be authorized in KSeF. Submitting a correction against an unauthorized invoice fails.

Other needed fields:


Field	Description
BillingReference	References the original invoice by ID and issue date.
CorrectionReason	Text description of the correction reason. Needed for KOR type.
CorrectionType	1 = item correction, 2 = data correction, 3 = both.

A fully corrected invoice cannot be corrected again. The correction amount cannot exceed the original invoice amount.

For the full XML structure, see the corrective invoice sample in the Samples section.

Advance invoice lifecycle

Advance payment scenarios involve two documents submitted in sequence, each going through the standard clearance flow.

Issue an advance invoice (ZAL) when you get an advance payment.
Issue a settlement invoice (ROZ) at final delivery, referencing the authorized ZAL.

Inbound invoice lifecycle

KSeF stores invoices centrally but does not push them to buyers. Sovos polls KSeF on your behalf and processes retrieved invoices automatically through three stages:

Mapping: FA(3) format is transformed to SCI format.
Rendering: A PDF is generated.
Distribution (optional): The invoice and attachments are delivered to configured recipients.

The invoice reaches final status processed and is accessible through the Sovos API.

For polling configuration and access to retrieved invoices, see Retrieve invoices.

e-invoicing