Date of issue

An issue date is a legal and economic term that indicates the date when a document, invoice or similar was issued by an issuer, such as a company or public authority.

The word "issued" comes from the Norwegian utstede, meaning "to give away" - and thus the issue date is the date when a financial or legal document is given from the issuer.

The word is most commonly used in legal or financial contexts - and often in connection with a guarantee, passport, driver's license, executive order or arrest warrant.

Companies often also use the term "issuing an invoice" when an invoice is created and passed on to the customer. The issue date of an invoice will be synonymous with the term invoice date, and the term issue date is also used, for example, in SKAT's guidelines for "invoice content", which covers the requirements for an invoice.

Despite SKAT's use of the term issue date, in practice you will often find that ERP and accounting programs tend to use the term invoice date.

Why is the concept of issue date relevant?

The concept of issue date is often an important concept in legal and financial contexts - and it is used in many different ways.

The issue date indicates when something is issued to a customer, consumer or business partner - and it often has a legal or financial meaning. Often the issuer has a legal or financial obligation or wants something redeemed around the issue date.

For example, an issued passport is often valid for 10 years from the date of issue. The issue date of a passport, certificate or similar legal documentation is also (if not otherwise stated) often the date from which the documentation is valid.

The issue date of an invoice, often referred to as the invoice date, is also important when it comes to payment, as many companies often state a payment deadline such as "8 days net from invoice date".

Read also: Statute of limitations