Getting started & account¶
Sandbox account, API keys, many clients on one key, credits.
How do I get access to the sandbox and the API documentation?
The documentation (guides, OpenAPI and a Postman collection with ready-made scenarios and JSON) is published on the developer site. You open a sandbox account yourself by signing up on the developer portal (email and VAT number, ΑΦΜ). After confirmation, you find your API key in the portal, and the VAT number you signed up with is automatically activated as an issuer. Test calls go to https://provider-dev.timologisi.online with the key in the API-KEY header. Sandbox documents are deleted after 30 days.
Which recipient VAT number can I use on test invoices in the sandbox?
As the issuer, use the VAT number you signed up with. As the recipient, use a fictitious VAT number that passes the check digit validation, as in the ready-made examples. Do not use the VAT number of a real business: AADE (the Greek tax authority) returns the receiving emails that each recipient has registered, and the certified e-invoicing provider sends the PDF to them even from the sandbox.
Does the Provider store the documents I issue, or is archiving my responsibility?
Yes, the Provider stores them. After transmitting the document to myDATA, the Provider generates the PDF and archives it. In production, archiving is permanent. You can get the PDF and the details of each document through invoiceUrl, GetInvoice/{uid}/{fileType} or RequestTransmittedDocs. In the sandbox, documents are deleted after 30 days. It is good practice to also keep the MARK, UID, Authentication Code and invoiceUrl in your application.
See: How it works
Does the API also have a web interface for issuing documents manually?
No. The Provider API is built for system-to-system communication and has no issuing screen. In your account portal you can view and search the documents you issued, but you cannot create new ones. For manual issuing, Novus has a separate e-invoicing application, independent of the API.
Can I connect my own system (custom backend, e-shop or ERP) directly to the API, without middleware or a Novus platform?
Yes. Novus is itself the certified Provider, and you work with it directly, with no reseller or ERP in between. Your system calls the REST API with JSON, e.g. when an order is completed in the e-shop, and gets the MARK, UID, Authentication Code and PDF in the same response. Novus provides the Provider layer, that is, the API and the connection to AADE. You handle the issuing logic (document types, VAT, classifications, numbering) and the implementation in your system.
See: How it works
Can I move documents I have already issued through another provider to Novus by sending them again?
No. Documents already transmitted to myDATA are not sent again, because a new submission creates a conflict in myDATA (e.g. a duplicate, error 228). Also, through a Provider, the issueDate must be today's date. Keep the history in your own application or with your previous provider, and issue only new documents through Novus.
See: Errors & statusCode
Can I change the email of an account I have already activated on the developer portal?
No, the email of an activated account cannot be changed. Sign up again on the developer portal with the correct email. The sandbox account and the API key are created after you confirm the email and set a password. The email and VAT number you enter at sign-up are also used in the certification request, so check them before you submit.
Does Novus build the integration into my ERP, or provide a ready-made module for any ERP?
No. Novus provides the REST API (Provider API and Onboarding API) and the technical documentation. The integration is built by your own development team, your software vendor or an external partner. Your application remains the user's working environment and calls the API for every document it issues. It is responsible for correct amounts, VAT, classifications, numbering and error handling. To get started, there are ready-made JSON examples, OpenAPI and a Postman collection.
See: How it works
Can I share my account's credits freely across all the clients (VAT numbers) I serve?
Yes. One API key can hold many client VAT numbers with a shared credit balance: every document, for any VAT number, is charged to the same balance, which you can check with GET /api/v1/Provider/GetCreditsBalance. If you prefer, you can also create a separate sign-up (a separate API key, with its own credits) for each VAT number. In either case, every new VAT number is activated with a contract and Novus approval, through the Onboarding API or the portal.
See: Charges (credits)
How many credits does each document cost, and are failed submissions charged?
Invoices (1.x, 2.x, 3.x, 5.x, 6.x, 7.1, 8.1, 8.2) and goods movement documents (9.x, 10.x) cost 1 credit, while retail receipts (11.1–11.5), POS receipts 8.4/8.5 and 8.6 cost 0.5. The provider signature for card/IRIS payments costs an extra 0.25 per payment line, as do cancellations of delivery notes and receiving notes. Only successful calls are charged: rejections by the Provider's checks and AADE ValidationError responses are not charged. The credits of each call are returned in the credits field, and the balance with GetCreditsBalance.
See: Charges (credits)