E-invoicing
system in France

From 1 September 2026, it will no longer be possible to ask your suppliers for paper or simple PDF invoices.

All businesses will have to:

• Accept electronic invoices from their suppliers.
• Integrate them into their accounting or business management system.

From 1 September 2026 for the largest businesses and progressively until September 2027 for others, all businesses must be able to :

• Be able to issue electronic invoices in compliant formats.
• Be able to send them automatically to their customers via a platform of their choice.

Ensure compliance with 4 e-invoicing methods:

• The exchange of invoices in structured formats compliant with the European standard EN16931 (UBL 2.A and CII formats), with the obligation for platforms (public or private) to produce a readable PDF.
• The exchange of invoices in mixed formats complying with the European standard EN16931, combining structured data and a screen-readable PDF; the Franco-German Factur-X standard is the best known of these mixed formats. It represents the original invoice and contains a structured data file (XML).
• Optional formats (e.g. EDIFACT format), subject to acceptance by both parties (seller/buyer) and extraction of mandatory data by a partner dematerialisation platform (PDP).
• Dematerialised data flows (via EDI, API, etc.) or online input on the public platform.

It will be mandatory to archive electronic invoices in their original computer format. Archiving consists of a sealed, time-stamped deposit in a digital safe.

The creation of an invoicing network linking all BtoB players is accompanied by total transparency on the progress of each invoice, status by status:

4 obligatory statuses are communicated by all platforms:

• Submitted
• Rejected
• Declined
• Received

Other statuses (made available; taken in charge; approved; partially approved; payment forwarded), which are recommended but optional, and still others, known as free statuses, will be included or not in the services offered by the platforms.
These statuses are treated as management information rather than billing information. In short, customer credit management, cash flow management and business intelligence will be greatly improved.

E-reporting is the transmission of data to the tax authorities. These new data flows must be submitted:

• For international B2B transactions, for invoices sent or received (excluding imports of goods);
• For B2C transactions (invoices, Z-cash, non-invoice transactions);
• For collection (when it concerns invoices for the provision of services where VAT is collected on collection).

How does it work?
The frequency of the e-reporting flows depends on the VAT regime of the company. The issuing platform chosen by the company (PPF or PDP) concentrates and transmits these flows to the tax authorities.

An electronic invoice must fulfil two conditions:

• It must be created, sent, received and stored in electronic form.
• It must comply with the conditions imposed by the Direction Générale des Impôts.

• The document format: the e-invoice is not a PDF file sent by email. It is a special format that can be read by a specially configured management application.
• The document circuit: the electronic invoice passes through two platforms, one chosen by the sender and the other by the recipient. These platforms check the formal conformity of the invoices and reject them if they do not comply. They are also responsible for transmitting VAT data to the government.

Two formats will be in circulation:

• Structured formats (UBL, EDIFACT, CII, etc.), which can only be read by machines.
• Mixed formats, consisting of structured data and a screen-readable PDF, such as the Franco-German Factur-X standard.

Platforms will emerge to enable businesses to benefit from e-invoicing in a simple and secure way.

• The exchange of invoices between companies will be handled by private platforms or Plateformes de Dématérialisation Partenaires (PDP), which will have to be listed in a directory.
• The transmission of invoicing data, which will make it possible to take the pulse of the economy, will be handled by a public platform, the Public Billing Portal (PPF). Only the public platform will exchange data with the DGDiP. An automatic link will be established between the private platforms and this public platform.

• Optimisation of the invoicing process: simplification, rationalisation and security.
• Reduced collection disputes and shorter payment times.
• Reduced carbon footprint.

For businesses, the adoption of electronic invoicing will primarily mean lower costs:

• Improved cash flow through shorter payment times.
• Lower VAT declaration costs, thanks to the possibility of pre-filling.
• Reduced invoice administration costs, both for incoming and outgoing invoices.

Simplified reminders, fewer disputes, automated invoice reconciliation, traceability of invoice processing and instant access to archived documents all help to reduce the cost and processing time of dematerialised invoices.
The Forum National de la Facture Électronique estimates that the productivity gain is 1/3 for the supplier and 2/3 for the customer.

• It is suitable for companies of all sizes.
• It guarantees the confidentiality of commercial policies (conditions, rates, etc.).
• It distributes responsibility for the smooth operation of the ecosystem between public and private players.
• It preserves the continuity of electronic invoice exchange systems already in place.
• It stimulates innovation and emulation between players.
• It leaves the way open for processes to be enhanced by additional services.