For Lanzarote's economy, from businesses in Arrecife to restaurants in Puerto del Carmen, diving schools in Yaiza, or vacation rentals in Costa Teguise and Playa Blanca, the change is significant. It is important to understand what is required, what deadlines are involved, and how to prepare the business to avoid last-minute rushes.
The most frequently asked question is obvious, when does Verifactu come into effect and how does it impact each activity. The regulation anticipates a progressive rollout throughout 2026, with transitional periods, although the practical message is unequivocal: you have to arrive with the software ready, the numbering organized, and the team trained. If you operate in Lanzarote, furthermore, you will have to fit Verifactu with particularities such as the IGIC and the specific casuistry of the tourism sector.
What Verifactu is, in plain language and without technicalities
Verifactu is the standard that invoicing programs must meet to prevent subsequent alterations and facilitate the verification of information. This translates into four operational consequences:
- Record integrity: the system prevents the deletion or rewriting of invoices. If there are errors, they are corrected with amendments, not by editing old documents.
- QR code on tickets and invoices: it must be printed or included in the PDF in a legible and scannable manner.
- Traceability: each emission leaves a trace of events, useful in audits and closings.
- Standardized format: templates and books with a standard structure, which streamlines work with the consultancy.
You don't have to be a technician to apply this, but it is advisable to review how you issue, charge, return, archive, and close each month. The leap is cultural and procedural as much as technological.
Deadlines: the practical calendar for 2026
For informational purposes, 2026 is the key year for mandatory compliance. Not all businesses will be at the same point on the same day, because phases are contemplated, but realistic planning for Lanzarote should be:
- First half of 2026: choose compatible software, migrate data, test QR codes, and integrate the complete budget, invoice, collection, and filing circuit.
- Third quarter of 2026: operate in production with the new flow, train all personnel, especially in hospitality and retail shifts.
- Fourth quarter of 2026: achieve a stable closing, without QR code or numbering incidents, and with the rectification policy established.
Whoever waits until the end of the year will run into typical bottlenecks, even more so in businesses that combine occupancy peaks with administrative tasks.
What it implies in Lanzarote, sector by sector
- Commerce and hospitality in Arrecife, Tías, and Teguise
These are activities with high ticket turnover and several cash registers or POS. The challenge is not only the software, but also the hardware: thermal printers that print the QR code sharply, readers, drawers, and integration with accounting. Review the return and correction processes at the point of sale to avoid errors during peak hours.
* Lodgings and vacation rentals
Anyone operating vacation rentals or tourist complexes must reconcile reservations, invoicing with IGIC, added services, and payment methods. It is advisable to standardize templates and series to better distinguish stays, extras, and intermediation services. If you use a channel manager or PMS, ensure that the automatic invoicing complies with QR and unalterable records.
- Tourist activities: diving, surfing, excursions
Schools and centers with packages, vouchers, or courses usually issue electronic invoices and receipts at the counter. The safest flow is quote → confirmation → invoice with QR code, and a clear policy for amendments in case of cancellation due to weather.
* Vehicle and experience rentals
Rent-a-car and experience companies combine contracts, deposits, and final invoices. The traceability of events is key: when it is issued, when it is rectified, for what concept, and who authorizes it. Integrate the QR code without breaking the contractual design.
* Professionals and microenterprises
Law firms, clinics, creative or technical studios issue fewer documents but with greater detail of concepts. You will gain with closed templates per service and with a monthly closing procedure that forces you to review outstanding collections and rectifications before sending the accounting.
How to Prepare Your Business: A 5-Step Roadmap
- Audit the current situation
- What tool you use for invoicing today, whether it will be updated to Verifactu, whether it can generate QR codes, and whether the consultancy is familiar with how it works.
- Review numbering and series, usual taxes, withholdings, and exemptions.
- Choose the software and plan the migration
- Make a copy of clients, products, taxes, and rates.
- Test with 5–10 sample invoices, verifying QR code, readability on paper and PDF, sending of documents, and event logging.
- Fine-tune the hardware
- Thermal printers and POS modules. The QR code must be clear, well-placed, and without cutting off information.
- If you issue remotely or on the go, make sure the app or portable terminal generates QR codes and synchronizes well.
- Define internal procedures
- Who issues, who reviews, and who closes. A month-end checklist prevents oversights.
- Policy for corrective invoices, returns, and credit notes in writing, visible to the team.
- Brief training and real-world trial
- A 60-minute session to explain QR codes, corrective invoices, and closures.
- Two weeks operating in parallel, detecting incidents and correcting them before the peak season.
Integration with IGIC and advisory services
In the Canary Islands, the IGIC replaces VAT in most transactions, which adds particularities in rates and exemptions. Verifactu does not change the applicable tax, it changes how you register and accredit the transaction. Even so, it is the perfect occasion to:
- Unify correct tax rates by product or service.
- Separate series if you sell to the peninsula or abroad.
- Verify the deductibility of recurring expenses and their documentation.
- Align the monthly closing with the advisory so that it always receives the same data structure.
Signs You're on the Right Track
- The QR code is printed clearly on the ticket and appears correctly in the PDF.
- You can locate any invoice in 5 seconds by client, date, or amount.
- The 2026 numbering is clean, without gaps or duplications.
- The monthly closing takes less than an hour because the entire team follows the same procedure.
- Your consultancy receives the files with the same structure and without recurring issues.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Leaving the migration for the last quarter and coinciding with work peaks.
- Not talking to the advisors and discovering the problem when submitting IGIC or annual summaries.
- Installing the software but not training the cashiers or reception staff.
- Printing blurry QR codes due to poor printer configuration.
- Not considering returns and having to reconstruct flows in a hurry.
Quick Checklist for Lanzarote Businesses
- Software compatible with Verifactu confirmed by the provider.
- Series and numberings defined for 2026.
- Templates with QR codes tested on paper and PDF.
- Policy for amendments and returns documented.
- Cloud backup by Year → Quarter → Month.
- Basic training of the team and two-page internal manual.
- Monthly closing with checklist and assigned person in charge.
Local practical cases
- Bar in Arrecife with two cash registers: enable QR codes on both printers, define a shift closing with Z reading and allocation by payment methods. Create a corrective invoice template for consumption refunds.
- Vacation rental in Costa Teguise: automate invoice issuance with QR code upon confirming the reservation, separate extras into lines, send payment reminders, and save the PDF in the month's folder.
- Diving center in Yaiza: use budget statuses, confirm spots, invoice with QR code, control payments for weather cancellations, and document the flow for the reception team.
- Shop in Teguise: integrate POS with accounting, print QR code on thermal ticket, train shifts in corrective invoices, and establish weekly numbering audits.
Training that Pays Off
An hour of training avoids many problems. Review live how to create a client, issue an invoice with QR, generate a corrective invoice, send the document by email, and execute the closing of the month with a list of pending items. If you work in shifts, leave a printed manual and easy access to a short internal video.
FAQs
1) Does Verifactu force me to change programs no matter what?
If your software doesn't guarantee integrity, doesn't generate a QR code, or doesn't adapt to the requirements, you'll have to update or migrate. Ask the provider for written confirmation and request a demo with real examples from your business.
2) Do all invoices have to be sent to the Tax Agency in real time?
The regulations contemplate the sending of records. The essential thing is that your system generates and stores the information with guarantees and can be sent when appropriate. Check the specific flow with your advisor.
3) What happens to my invoices from 2025 backwards?
They are kept as they are now. As of 2026, new invoices must be issued with compatible software, with QR and unalterable records.
4) What if I issue few invoices per year?
You must also comply. Simple software with templates and clear numbering will save you time and errors each quarter.
5) Can I continue using my POS if it prints tickets without a QR code?
No. You must update it or replace it. Check if your provider offers modules or drivers to incorporate the QR code without changing the entire equipment.
6) Does something different apply because it's the Canary Islands and you're working with IGIC (Indirect General Canary Tax)?
Verifactu doesn't change the tax, it changes the way the transaction is recorded and accredited. Take the opportunity to review rates, exemptions, and series with your advisor.
Lanzarote depends greatly on a dynamic tourism economy and a network of self-employed workers and SMEs that cannot stop. Getting ahead of Verifactu means gaining order, control, and time. If you start now, you will arrive in 2026 with the system tested, the team trained, and the monthly closings under control.
