Getting started
with Estica
A complete guide to setting up Estica Invoicing — whether you're a self-employed professional creating your first account, or a firm onboarding your contractors.
Creating your account
Go to invoicing.estica.be/auth/sign-up to create your account. Account creation has two steps: your user profile, then your company.
User setup
Fill in your first name, last name, email address, and password. Accept the Terms and Conditions and click Next.
Company setup — VAT lookup
Enter your VAT number (e.g. BE0123456789) and click Check. Estica retrieves your company details from the official register automatically. If your company isn't found, an error appears with the option to enter details manually.
Company details
Review the pre-filled fields and complete the following manually:
Invoice Language — Dutch, French, or German, in line with Belgian language legislation for your region.
Billing Email (optional) — receive a PDF and XML confirmation for each invoice sent. The XML is the official document for accounting purposes.
Accountant Email (optional) — if your accounting tool has a sales inbox email, add it here so invoices are forwarded automatically.
IBAN — the account your clients should pay to.
Payment Terms — your standard payment period (e.g. 30 days).
Financial Year — start and end of your current financial year, for correct invoice numbering. Only needed at initial setup.
Standard Invoice Note (optional) — any text you want on every invoice by default.
Complete sign-up
Click Complete Sign-Up. Your account is now active. You can update company details at any time via Company in the top navigation.
Subscriptions: To send invoices via Peppol, an active subscription is required. If you work with a mandate company that uses Estica, they may assign a Plus Seat to you. Otherwise, purchase a Plus Subscription under Settings → Company Settings → Subscriptions.
Giving a mandate to your firm
If the firm you work for manages invoicing through Estica, they will ask you to grant them a mandate. The mandate only covers invoicing between you and that specific firm — it does not give them access to your invoices for other clients.
Before you start: The firm must have an active mandate subscription in Estica. If they don't, you won't be able to find them. Mandate requests don't expire — once sent, they remain open until the firm accepts.
Go to Contacts
In the top navigation bar, click Contacts and then click Give Mandate.
Search for the firm
Search by company name or VAT number. Select the correct company and submit the mandate request.
Wait for acceptance
The firm will see your request in their Contacts page and accept it. Once accepted, they can manage your invoice details and the mandate is active.
Adding a new company to your account
If you've set up a new legal entity, you can add it to your existing account without creating a new login. Each company requires its own VAT number, invoice numbering sequence, and subscription.
Important: When you change invoicing entity, always create a new company in Estica. You cannot change the VAT number of an existing company. A new legal entity requires its own invoice numbering sequence.
Wrap up invoicing for the old company
Make sure all invoices for the old company have been sent. Delete any planned future invoices that should no longer go out — these will not be removed automatically. If you work with a mandate company, align with them on the handover.
Create the new company
Go to Settings → User Settings → My Companies → Create New Company. Enter your new VAT number and complete the company profile (same fields as initial setup).
Grant mandates and subscribe
If applicable, grant mandates to your firms from the new company. Purchase a new Plus Subscription — subscriptions are tied to a specific company and cannot be transferred.
Set up planned invoices
Delete any planned invoices still set up under the old company and recreate them under the new entity.
Onboarding a new contractor
Before you start: Your company must have an active mandate subscription. Go to Subscriptions and purchase one if needed.
Ask the contractor to create an account and send you a mandate
The contractor creates an Estica account and goes to Contacts → Give Mandate, searches for your company, and sends the request. They can follow the guide above.
Accept the mandate
Go to Contacts in the top navigation. Pending mandate requests appear at the top. Accept the request there.
Configure the contact
Click Actions → Edit on the contact. Set a Friendly Name if helpful. If you have a self-billing agreement with this contractor, enable the Self-billing option and configure the correct VAT rate and mandatory invoice mentions ("invoice issued by the customer" + any reverse charge reference).
Assign a subscription (if needed)
Go to Subscriptions and purchase and assign a Plus Seat to the contractor. If they already have their own active Plus Subscription, no seat is needed. Note: Plus Seats are purchased separately — they are not included in the Mandate plan.
Contractor changed invoicing entity
Ask the contractor to add their new company and send a new mandate
The contractor adds the new legal entity to their Estica account (see chapter above) and sends you a new mandate from that entity.
Finalise invoicing and remove the old mandate
Make sure all invoices for the old company have been sent. Then go to Contacts, find the old company, and click Actions → Remove Mandate. Any remaining planned invoices for that entity are deleted automatically.
Accept the new mandate and configure
Accept the new mandate request at the top of your Contacts page. Configure the new contact (friendly name, self-billing if applicable). Assign a Plus Seat if needed — the seat freed from the old mandate can be reassigned.
Plan invoices for the new entity
The old planned invoices were cleared automatically. Set up the new recurring invoices for the new company.
Creating a self-biller without an account
Only available for actual self-billing arrangements where you issue invoices on behalf of a supplier under a formal self-billing agreement. If you simply want to manage a contractor's invoices, they must create their own Estica account and grant you a mandate.
Legal requirement: Belgian VAT law requires a prior written agreement between both parties before self-billing can take place (Circulaire AAFisc nr. 53/2013). Make sure this is in place before proceeding.
Purchase Self-Biller Seats
Go to Subscriptions and purchase the number of Self-Biller Seats you need. Each self-billing contact requires one seat.
Create the self-billing contact
Go to Contacts → New Self-biller. Fill in the contractor's company details and financial year. Configure the correct VAT rate. Set the Standard Invoice Note to include "invoice issued by the customer" — and if the reverse charge applies (e.g. advocate employees, Circulaire AAFisc nr. 47/2013), add that reference as well.
When a contractor is leaving
Make sure all invoices have been sent
Before removing the mandate, confirm all invoices for this contractor have been processed. Once the mandate is removed, all planned future invoices are deleted automatically.
Remove the mandate
Go to Contacts, find the contractor, click Actions → Remove Mandate. Planned future invoices are deleted automatically. If you assigned a Plus Seat, it is freed and can be reassigned. The contractor retains access to their Estica account and can view past invoices.
Not sure yet? Keep the mandate active but delete only the recurring planned invoices. This lets you continue sending ad-hoc invoices if needed, without committing to full removal.
Still have questions?