--- title: What is the French e-invoice mandate? url: https://www.medius.com/blog/what-is-the-french-e-invoice-mandate/ updated: 2025-03-07T06:10:36Z --- [Back to Blog](https://www.medius.com/blog/) eInvoicing 6.30.2023 # What is the French e-invoicing mandate? Discover how the new accounts payable compliance affects your business. As a CFO or [finance professional](https://www.medius.com/solutions/for-your-role/finance-professionals/ "Finance Professionals"), you know the importance of keeping up with changes in regulations related to financial transactions. You’ve likely heard of the recent [French mandate](https://www.pagero.com/compliance/regulatory-updates/france) for [e-invoicing](https://www.medius.com/glossary/what-is-e-invoicing/ "What is e-Invoicing?")to digitize invoicing processes, increase efficiency and modernize its invoicing system. If your business is in France or you do business with companies in France, it’s essential to understand what this mandate entails. In this blog post, we'll share the key aspects of the French e-invoicing mandate and how to prepare for the upcoming changes. - What is the French e-Invoicing mandate? - Who is affected by the mandate? - What are the requirements and obligations? - What are the deadlines and timelines for the French e-Invoicing mandate? - What are the benefits of e-invoicing? - How can Medius AP automation software help? ## What is the French e-Invoicing mandate? The French e-invoicing mandate was the result of Art. 153 of France’s Finance Law 2020 which was passed by the French government on December 28, 2019. This article is part of the effort to increase digitization and increase business efficiencies in France and makes e-invoicing mandatory for all business-to-business transactions. The mandate was initially slated to take effect in July 2024, but has been postponed to allow the French economy more time to adapt to the upcoming changes. The French e-Invoicing mandate requires businesses to [send and receive electronic invoices](https://www.medius.com/blog/the-best-e-invoicing-software/ "Choose the Best E-Invoicing Software") in a specified format that conforms to France's legal and fiscal requirements–all with ambitions to: - Boost competitiveness - Combat VAT fraud - Increase business efficiency - Simplify VAT returns The mandate was introduced to assist businesses in complying with VAT regulations, ensuring the timely processing of invoices sent or received to reduce the risk of penalties. But, e-invoice [automation and standardization](https://www.medius.com/solutions/medius-accounts-payable-automation/einvoicing/ "eInvoicing") have many other benefits – like facilitating faster payment cycles, improving accuracy and enhancing transparency in business transactions. ## Who is affected by the French e-Invoice mandate? If your business operates within France or supplies goods or services to French enterprises or public entities, you must comply with the e-invoicing mandate. The regulation includes B2B and B2G invoice transactions and third-party service providers utilizing accounting software to send or receive invoices. ## What are the requirements and obligations? As a business, [complying](https://www.medius.com/lps/us-pagero-page/ "US - Pagero page") with the French e-invoicing mandate is crucial. But what exactly does that entail? Simply put, you must follow established technical specifications, including using structured data formats such as XML or UBL and compliance with e-invoicing syntax stipulated by French tax authorities. ### Obligations for businesses: - **E-invoice issuance:** Generate and transmit [e-invoices](https://www.medius.com/glossary/what-is-e-invoicing/ "What is e-Invoicing?")to your customers in the prescribed format. Ensure the e-invoice includes specific mandatory fields, such as supplier and customer identification, invoice date, tax details and invoice amounts. - **Archiving:** Store invoices electronically and ensure they're available for inspection by tax authorities upon request. Remember to maintain archived invoices' integrity, authenticity and readability throughout their retention period. - **E-invoice receipt:** Be prepared to receive e-invoices from your suppliers and integrate them into your internal accounting systems. ### Some points to keep in mind: **Invoice Lifecycle Management:** You'll need to transmit regular invoice status updates via the government PPF platform or an accredited service provider. Companies will no longer send invoices directly to customers – they will use the PPF or the 3rd party PDP. **Receiving E-Invoices:** From July 1, 2024, companies subject to VAT in France need to be able to receive e-invoices in the approved formats UBL 2.1, UN/CEFACT CII, and Factur-X. So, make sure your AP solution can handle these formats. **E-Reporting Requirements:** While e-invoicing won't be mandatory for B2C and cross-border invoices, companies must send e-reporting files for these transactions with similar data points in specific formats to the government platform. The deadlines for submitting these reports depend on the reporting scheme you fall under. **Invoice Formats:** Only certain e-invoice formats will be accepted after specific deadlines. By late 2026, paper and [simple PDF invoices](https://www.medius.com/solutions/for-your-role/finance-professionals/move-beyond-the-pdf-invoice/ "Move Beyond the PDF Invoice") will no longer be valid for domestic B2B e-Invoicing in France. If you issue invoices electronically, they must also be archived electronically, so you'll need to have a solution for electronic invoice archiving. ## What are the deadlines and timelines for the French e-Invoicing mandate? The electronic invoicing mandate initially planned to commence in July 2024 has recently been deferred. The project, which has been a large topic of discussion between stakeholders since 2021, is postponed to give the French economy more time to adapt to the upcoming changes. The postponement date will be announced as part of the French 2024 finance law. ## What are the benefits of e-Invoicing? [E-invoicing has many advantages](https://www.medius.com/blog/what-is-einvoicing/ "What is eInvoicing, and why does your business need it?"), including: 1. **Cost savings:** E-invoicing eliminates paper, postage and manual processing, delivering big savings. 2. **Increased efficiency**: Automation throughout invoice generation and transmission diminishes human [error](https://www.cfo.com/credit-capital/working-capital/2022/06/invoice-errors-payments-data-technology-automation/) and allows for superior operational efficiency. 3. **Faster payment cycles & optimized cash flow:** If waiting for payments is a pain point, e-invoicing covers you. Faster invoice delivery and processing lead to quicker payment collection. 4. **Data accuracy and visibility:** E-invoices are structured, resulting in fewer errors and discrepancies, prompting [more accurate financial transaction recording and reporting](https://www.medius.com/blog/how-to-get-a-holistic-view-of-spend-in-four-steps-a-cfo-s-guide/ "How to get a holistic view of spend in four steps: a CFO’s guide"). 5. **Improved sustainability:** Shifting from paper-based to electronic invoices contributes to environmental sustainability by reducing paper consumption and waste. 6. **Increased productivity and employee morale:** Automation and streamlined processes allow employees to focus on more strategic, essential tasks, reducing frustrating, time-consuming tasks – increasing employee morale. The French e-invoicing mandate represents a significant step towards modernizing invoicing processes in France. By embracing e-invoicing, you can streamline operations, reduce costs, improve efficiency, and much more. You can prepare for the upcoming mandate by understanding the technical requirements, ensuring compliance, and leveraging the benefits of e-invoicing to stay ahead in the evolving business landscape. ## How Medius AP automation software can help: [Medius' AP Automation solution](https://www.medius.com/solutions/medius-accounts-payable-automation/ "Medius Accounts Payable Automation") supports all your invoicing needs and types, including e-Invoices. Collaborating with Pagero and other service providers globally, our cloud-based accounts payable automation solution centralizes incoming invoices under one roof. [Medius Capture](https://www.medius.com/solutions/medius-accounts-payable-automation/invoice-capture/ "Invoice Capture"), our patent-pending solution, captures invoice data intelligently, bringing consistency to electronic formats, including PDF, XML and many others. The highly user-friendly [Medius Supplier Portal](https://www.medius.com/solutions/supplier-onboarding/#supplier-portal "Supplier Onboarding") enables suppliers to flip and upload invoices from purchase orders. With Medius, you can manage your accounts payable with ease and peace of mind – and comply with the latest e-invoice regulations. Our team is here to support these types of business changes you so that you can focus on your business. [Contact us today](https://www.medius.com/contact-us/ "Contact Us") to learn more. #### The Financial Professional Census Explore hurdles facing finance professionals today and learn how to overcome them in our research-backed Financial Professional Census report. [Get the report](https://www.medius.com/resources/guides-reports/financial-professional-census-report-2024/ "Financial Professional Census Report 2024") #### Ardent Partners' State of AP in 2026 AI is changing what AP teams can do, and fast. Get leading analysts at Ardent Partners' take on where the industry is headed. [Get the report](https://www.medius.com/resources/guides-reports/ardent-partners-state-of-ap/ "Ardent Partners State of AP") #### Webinar: Preparing for agentic AI in AP In this webinar with SSON, see how leading finance teams are moving from automation to autonomous AP, with real governance built in. [Watch the webinar](https://www.medius.com/resources/events-and-webinars/through-trust-and-governance-sson/ "Through trust and governance SSON") #### Discover accounts payable benchmarks Learn the efficiency metrics that matter for AP teams and the benchmarks derived from thousands of Medius customers around the globe. [Get the report](https://www.medius.com/resources/guides-reports/ap-benchmark-report/ "AP Benchmark Report") #### Watch a demo Get a first-hand look at Medius AP Automation, Analytics, and Pay with our 13-minute product demo. [Watch now](https://www.medius.com/watch-a-demo/#recorded "Watch a demo") ## Related Posts [8.10.2026 AP Automation Best AP automation software for e-invoicing compliance](https://www.medius.com/blog/best-ap-automation-software-for-e-invoicing-compliance/) [8.6.2026 AP Automation Why global expansion creates AP complexity faster than expected](https://www.medius.com/blog/why-global-expansion-creates-ap-complexity-faster-than-expected/) [8.4.2026 AP Automation Choosing the best AP automation software for complex approval workflows](https://www.medius.com/blog/choosing-the-best-ap-automation-software-for-complex-approval-workflows/) [7.28.2026 AP Automation How AP automation solves common AP standardization challenges](https://www.medius.com/blog/how-ap-automation-solves-common-ap-standardization-challenges/) [7.28.2026 AP Automation Why AP processes become inconsistent across business units](https://www.medius.com/blog/why-ap-processes-become-inconsistent-across-business-units/) [7.27.2026 AP Automation How global manufacturers prepare AP operations for e-invoicing mandates](https://www.medius.com/blog/how-global-manufacturers-prepare-ap-operations-for-e-invoicing-mandates/) [8.11.2026 Fraud & Risk The best AP automation platforms for strengthening payment controls](https://www.medius.com/blog/the-best-ap-automation-platforms-for-strengthening-payment-controls/) Previous Next [View All Posts](https://www.medius.com/blog/) ## Ready to transform your AP? 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