What makes an invoice move to “paid”?

Only the bank's confirmation that the transfer was actually executed. Neither the creation of the invoice, nor the validation code, nor a simple declaration by the payer is enough.

What does the validation code prove?

The payer's consent: it confirms that they accept the invoice. It does not prove that the money has been sent.

When should you deliver a good or a service?

On receipt of the payment confirmation, not before. That is the signal that should trigger delivery.

Confirmed or paid invoice: the difference

In a payment by bank transfer, several moments follow one another: the request, the customer's agreement, the execution of the transfer, its receipt. Confusing them is the source of most delivery and accounting errors. virement.tn distinguishes them explicitly.

The stages of an invoice

Stage	What happened	What it proves
Issued	The organization created the invoice	A payment request exists
Confirmed	The payer gave their consent (validation code), or confirmation was automatic for an already committed customer	The payer accepts the invoice
Paid	The bank confirmed execution of the transfer	The money has really been sent

A confirmed invoice is therefore “awaiting payment”: the customer has committed, but the transfer has not yet been executed.

Why this distinction protects everyone

The merchant doesn't deliver on a mere promise.
The customer isn't declared the payer of an invoice they haven't settled.
The accountant has a single source of truth: the bank's confirmation.

The role of the validation code

The validation code — 6 characters, single-use, valid for 24 hours — is found in the payer's space. It proves their consent and replaces entering a card number. But it moves no money: it is the transfer, executed afterwards from the bank, that does.

For an already committed customer

For an already identified customer — recurring subscriber, insured person, tenant on a leasing contract — under a ceiling set by the organization, the invoice can be confirmed automatically, with no code. The principle remains the same: it is paid only after bank confirmation.

What this implies for online sales

If you integrate virement.tn into a store, the rule is simple: the order is released only when the confirmation webhook is received, never on the response to the invoice-creation call. The details are in the article on integrating bank transfer payment on your site.

Key takeaways

Confirmed = the customer said yes.
Paid = the bank confirmed the transfer.
Only the second authorizes delivery and the accounting entry.

The full journey is described on the how it works page.

Confirmed or paid invoice: why bank confirmation matters