At the DMS Expo 2009, the Organization for the Promotion of Automated Accounting (Gesellschaft zur Förderung des automatisierten Rechnungswesens e.V. “GFaR”) introduced their proposal for creating a standardized process for the electronic exchange of invoices.

Standard eBilling uses the ISO standard PDF/A as document format and the XML standard openTrans, developed by the Frauenhofer Association together with German companies from the economics sector, for embedding the invoicing data. The PDF/A document and the embedded invoice data form a single entity which is “sealed” with an electronic signature. The requirements of the VAT tax act for permissible electronic invoices and the General Fiscal Law for verifiability and long-term archiving can be thus easily fulfilled.

Standard eBilling is available for everyone to use. If it is correctly implemented, anybody who generates or receives an invoice can participate in it, even without the agreement of the other party.

The LDP Centre (Centre for Long-term Digital Preservation) recommends PDF/A:

The demands on records, to be in native state and complete for preservation over time, must be taken in concideration when choosing a file format: PDF/A-1 is formed to meet these conditions satisfying for some types of documents.

Besides the metadata every document is provided with, it is also possible to apply more metadata to the document. Metadata can help to increase the documents traceability and show its history. There can be information about who constituted the document, when it was done and if any changes has been made to the document or its metadata.

Original information (date: 2010-01-08) on the website of the Luleå University of Technology

The University of Potsdam is aiming to have all documents on their publications server stored in PDF/A format in the future. This is stated in a notification that is published on their website. Users can also finds tips about how to create PDF/A documents from original formats, e.g. Word, or for converting from LaTeX to PDF/A.

The German National Library prefers PDF/A ahead of all other data formats when content is delivered in digital format. This is stated in the institute’s regulation concerning file formats. “Conventional” PDF comes in second place, followed by HTML. The complete list with further information for submitting documents can be found on the website of the German National Library.

In their Information for Suppliers and Libraries, the Austrian National Library has stipulated that they prefer to receive files in PDF/A format. This recommendation from the Austrian National Library with respect to the delivery of digital documents in PDF format places additional constraints on the files, and is aimed at ensuring support for the long-term archiving of digital documents. It orients itself on the ISO standard ISO 19005-1:2005 “Document management – Electronic document file format for long-term preservation – Part 1: Use of PDF (PDF/A)“, which is based on Version 1.4 of the PDF format.

According to parliamentary decision, beginning 1 April 2011 governmental authorities in Denmark will be obligated to use the open standard format ODF. ODF is unique as the only editable format that fully satisfies the five-part “openness” criteria for open standards. PDF/A-1 is listed for non-editable published documents. Read more in this press information (PDF) published by the OpenDocument Format Alliance.

In France, the Direction Générale de la Modernisation de l’Etat, Ministère du Budget (Directorate General for Modernization of the State, Ministry of Budget) issued a recommendation early in 2009 for the handling of electronic data. The document recommends using the ISO standard PDF/A for archiving administrative documents with static, inalterable content. The general framework for interoperability can be downloaded in French from: Référentiel Général d’Interopérabilité (RGI). The information about PDF/A can be found on page 63.

The Federal Government Coordination and Advisory Agency for IT in the Federal Administration (KBSt) has recently published the updated Version 4.0 of SAGA (Standards and Architecture for E-Government Applications). The new version places more emphasis on PDF/A-1 and explicitly recommends this standard. SAGA describes standards, technologies, and methods for using information technology in federal authorities and provides recommendations for E-Government in the public sector. The comprehensive report can be found at www.kbst.bund.de, including a download link to the SAGA document (SAGA Version 4.0 is not yet available in English).

MoReq is a European specification for electronic document and records management. The abbreviation stands for “Model Requirements for the Management of Electronic Documents and Records”. MoReq was originally developed for a standardized exchange of documents between the European Commission and the governments of member states. The newest version of MoReq (MoReq2) includes PDF/A in the list of recommended data formats, e.g. for scanned documents and for long-term archiving. More information can be found at www.moreq2.de; a copy of the standard can be downloaded here.

The Federal Chamber of Architects and Engineering Consultants in Austria requires that publicly available electronic documents comply with the PDF/A-1b standard. In addition, the authenticity of electronic documents that are being added to the land register will be assured through use of a qualified digital signature. More details are available on the BAIK website: www.baik-archiv.at. A good overview is also offered in the overview diagram of the BAIK archive.

The Norwegian Government has stipulated that all information published on state-run websites should be saved in an openly available document format, such as HTML, PDF resp. PDF/A, or ODF. PDF/A is recommended for all documents that have a binding layout. This regulation came into effect on January 1, 2009. More details can be found in the announcement from the Ministry of Government Administration and Reform.

Since January 1, 2010 municipal administration too has order to use open file formates (ODF, HTML, PDF 1.4 or better PDF/A) when publishing information via internet (more information in Norwegian).

The Swiss Federal Council, in a draft resolution for “Regulations for electronic transmission within the scope of administrative proceedings”, is turning to PDF/A. In the future, electronic communications between the administration and citizens concerning directives will use PDF/A format because of its suitability for long-term archiving. The regulation comes into effect on January 1, 2008 and should be fully implemented within 10 years. Further details are available from the Swiss federal authorities atwww.admin.ch.