In short: The QR code on a JoFotara invoice comes from the system once it accepts the invoice. Your cashier app does not make it and you do not add it. Customers check it in the Sanad app under digital document verification, and a receipt without a code means the invoice was not sent yet, was rejected, or the connection is not active.
In this guide
- Do I add the QR code myself? No, it comes back from the system
- What the code carries
- Where the code appears
- How a customer checks the invoice in Sanad
- Checking that the business itself is registered
- Why it matters to you that customers can check
- A receipt with no code: what it means and what to do
- Print a code that scans first time
- How Ghalleh prints the code
The small square at the bottom of the receipt is now part of every invoice in shops connected to JoFotara. Some owners think it is decoration, others assume their cashier app draws it. This guide covers where the code comes from, what it carries, where it shows up, how your customers can check it, and what to do when a receipt prints without one.
Do I add the QR code myself? No, it comes back from the system
When you make a sale, your cashier app turns it into an e-invoice in the format JoFotara expects and sends it to the system. JoFotara checks the invoice, and if it accepts it, records it and sends proof back to the app, including a QR code unique to that invoice. The app prints the code exactly as it received it. It does not make it, and neither do you.
So there is one rule worth remembering: no invoice in the system, no code. A code an app draws by itself before sending proves nothing, because JoFotara has not seen the invoice yet. If someone offers you an app that prints the QR even offline, ask them where the code came from.
What the code carries
The code holds the invoice's key details as JoFotara recorded them, in a form a verification app can read to tell whether the invoice is genuine and registered. It is not a link to your shop's page, not a payment method, and not something you can edit or design.
The technical content of the code is set by the Income and Sales Tax Department and may change over time, so do not rely on a list of fields from any site other than the department's. What matters in practice is that each code belongs to one specific invoice, and scanning it with the right tool shows whether that invoice is real.
Where the code appears
The code follows the invoice wherever it goes. These are the places you will see it.
| Document | Where the code appears | Note |
|---|---|---|
| The customer's thermal receipt | At the bottom, usually under the total | It needs to be clear enough for a phone camera to read |
| The invoice on the JoFotara portal | On the copy you open or download from view invoices | The portal guide says this copy carries all the invoice details plus the QR, and can be printed |
| A return invoice | On the return receipt | A return is a separate document sent to the system, so it has its own code |
| A reprinted old invoice | On the reprint | It is the original invoice's code, not a new one |
How a customer checks the invoice in Sanad
The Income and Sales Tax Department announced that JoFotara is linked to Sanad, the government app, so anyone who receives a purchase invoice can check it themselves. The app and its download links are on Sanad's official site, sanad.gov.jo. The steps, as the department described them:
- The customer opens the Sanad app on their phone.
- They choose the digital document verification service.
- They scan the QR code printed on the invoice.
- The app shows straight away whether the invoice is valid or not.
Checking that the business itself is registered
Sanad checks one specific invoice. If you want to know whether a business is registered on JoFotara at all, such as a supplier you buy from, the department's site has a page called verification of registration in the national e-invoicing system, which asks only for the tax number. Its address is es.istd.gov.jo/Query/FawtraQuery.aspx.
Why it matters to you that customers can check
A customer who scans the code and sees a valid invoice knows your shop is above board, without you saying a word. It matters even more when the customer is a business buying goods or services from you: the department said the link lets businesses and individuals confirm that their local purchases come from suppliers who comply with JoFotara.
The reverse is also true. In a connected shop, a receipt with no code, a code that will not scan, or a code the app flags as invalid is an awkward moment in front of a customer.
A receipt with no code: what it means and what to do
- The device is offline: the invoice has not been sent, so there is no code yet. The fix is an app that keeps the invoice and sends it when the connection returns, after which it has a code you can reprint if the customer asks.
- The invoice was rejected: it reached JoFotara but was not accepted because of a data error, such as an invoice type that does not match your registration or a wrong tax rate. Sending the same data again will not change the answer. Fix the cause.
- The connection is not active: your credentials are missing or wrong in the app, or the connection is switched off on the portal. Every receipt will print without a code until it is fixed.
- The code prints but will not scan: that is a printing problem, not an e-invoicing one. See the next section.
Print a code that scans first time
- Make the code big enough. A tiny code on 58 mm paper is hard for older phone cameras.
- Leave a white margin around it, and do not print it against the paper edge or other text.
- Set the printer heat properly. Too light and the squares go grey and broken, too dark and they bleed into each other.
- Use decent thermal paper. Some cheap rolls fade within weeks, and a customer may need the invoice a month later.
- Test it yourself: after any change of printer or paper, scan a real receipt with your phone camera and then with Sanad.
How Ghalleh prints the code
Ghalleh is connected to JoFotara. Ghalleh sends every invoice to the system at the moment of sale, and when the QR comes back it prints it at the bottom of the thermal receipt, on Bluetooth printers or POS terminals with a built-in printer.
If the internet drops you keep selling. Ghalleh stores the invoices on the device and resends them automatically when the connection returns, without you chasing them one by one. If an invoice still cannot be sent after the automatic retries, it is marked and you get an alert.
Ghalleh is available now on Google Play, and the Windows version is on the download page, with a 14-day free trial with every feature and no card. During your trial, print a real receipt in your own shop, scan the code with Sanad, and see the result for yourself.
Everything about JoFotara on one page: the JoFotara e-invoicing guide.
Common questions
Do I add the QR code to the invoice myself?
No. The code comes back from JoFotara once it accepts the invoice, and your cashier app prints it as received. A code drawn before sending proves nothing.
What does the QR code on a Jordanian tax invoice contain?
It carries the invoice's key details as recorded by JoFotara, in a form a verification app reads to confirm the invoice is valid. The technical details are set by the Income and Sales Tax Department.
How do I check an invoice with the Sanad app?
Open Sanad, choose the digital document verification service and scan the QR code printed on the invoice. The app shows straight away whether the invoice is valid. The app is on Sanad's official site, sanad.gov.jo.
Why did my receipt print without a QR code?
Because the invoice has not reached JoFotara yet, usually due to an internet outage, or it was rejected over a data error, or the connection details in your app are incomplete. The code only prints after the system accepts the invoice.