Advisory on Business Continuity for e-Invoice and e-Waybill Systems
Recent advisory issued by GSTN regarding business continuity measures for e-Invoice and e-Waybill systems. This post outlines the key points and recommended actions to ensure uninterrupted operations for taxpayers.
Alternate Mechanisms and Redundancy for e-Invoice and e-Waybill Systems
To mitigate disruptions and ensure seamless operations, GSTN has introduced alternate mechanisms and business continuity plans. Taxpayers are encouraged to coordinate with their system integrators, IRPs, ERPs, GSPs, or ASPs to integrate these mechanisms into their systems.
Multi IRPs for e-Invoice Reporting
To ensure redundancy and uninterrupted service, six Invoice Registration Portals (IRPs) are operational:
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NIC-IRP 1: https://www.einvoice1.gst.gov.in
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NIC-IRP 2: https://www.einvoice2.gst.gov.in
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Cygnet IRP: https://einvoice3.gst.gov.in
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Clear IRP: https://einvoice4.gst.gov.in
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EY IRP: https://einvoice5.gst.gov.in
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IRIS IRP: https://einvoice6.gst.gov.in
NIC-IRP 1 and 2 are interoperable, allowing users to switch between them during disruptions. Testing these redundancies in the NIC sandbox environment (https://einv-apisandbox.nic.in) is recommended. Additionally, the other listed IRPs can also be used as alternatives if NIC-IRP services are down.
Dual Portals for e-Waybill Services
Redundancy for e-Waybill operations is provided through two portals:
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eWaybill1: https://ewaybillgst.gov.in
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eWaybill2: https://ewaybill2.gst.gov.in
Unified Authentication Token
A single authentication token generated from NIC-IRP e-Invoice1 or e-Invoice2 can also be used across NIC e-Waybill1 and e-Waybill2 portals. This eliminates the need for separate tokens for each platform.
API Interoperability for Seamless Operations
Taxpayers using APIs can enable cross-portal operations by ensuring proper system configuration. Some key cross-operation functionalities include:
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e-Invoice APIs:
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Get IRN Details
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Cancel IRN
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Get IRN Details by Document Details
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Generate e-Waybill by IRN
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Get e-Waybill Details by IRN
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e-Waybill APIs:
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Get e-Waybill Details
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Update Part B
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For interoperability, taxpayers should pass relevant values in the API header, such as "NIC1" or "NIC2," depending on the portal being accessed.
Recommended Actions for Taxpayers
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Direct API Access: Ensure that your systems support cross-portal interoperability for uninterrupted services.
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Coordination with Service Providers: Engage with your IRP, ERPs, GSPs, or ASPs to enable and integrate alternate mechanisms.
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Explore Additional IRPs: Familiarize yourself with all six IRPs to use them as needed.
Conclusion
These measures are designed to help taxpayers maintain seamless operations during service disruptions. MM Tax Club encourages businesses to act promptly to integrate these redundancies into their systems.
For further assistance, please contact your system integrators, service providers, or the GST helpdesk. Detailed information is available on the respective IRPs and e-Waybill portals.