The landscape of e-invoicing in France is undergoing a major transformation. With a series of regulatory milestones reached in July 2025, businesses in France are entering a new era of digital compliance, global interoperability, and streamlined invoice management. The Direction Générale des Finances Publiques (DGFiP), France’s tax authority, is leading these reforms with strong emphasis on international standards and efficiency.

France's Certification as Peppol Authority

On July 8, 2025, DGFiP became a certified Peppol Authority. This pivotal development establishes France as a leader in adopting the Peppol e-invoicing network, which supports secure, standardized electronic invoicing and data exchange across borders. By integrating Peppol, France is paving the way for seamless e-invoicing and e-reporting, ensuring that French businesses adhere to both national and international requirements for electronic transactions.

Why Peppol Matters

• International interoperability: French businesses can now exchange invoices with partners across 44 Peppol member countries, with document exchanges occurring in up to 65 countries worldwide.
• Standard compliance: Peppol sets robust technical and operational standards for electronic documents, reducing the need for complex, one-to-one system integrations.

E-Invoicing Mandate Timeline: Key Dates

The roadmap for mandatory e-invoicing in France is clearly defined:

The French Parliament recently reaffirmed these deadlines by rejecting proposals to delay them, underlining the country's commitment to digital transformation.

Core Infrastructure: PPF and PDPs

The PPF Directory: The Portail Public de Facturation (PPF) Directory launched with over 8,000 companies registered. Its function is twofold:

• Directory service: Centralizes recipient information for e-invoices, facilitating accurate and efficient routing.
• Data transmission: Collects and transmits compliant invoice data to the tax authorities, while businesses interact primarily through certified platforms.

The Rise of Partner Dematerialisation Platforms (PDPs): Certified PDPs are now at the heart of France’s e-invoicing model.

• Role: Facilitate the exchange of e-invoices and ensure regulatory compliance.
• Obligation: Businesses are required to use accredited PDPs; free PPF access for sending invoices is discontinued.
• Certification: Ongoing audits ensure PDPs meet stringent technological and operational criteria.

New Standards & Technological Updates: AFNOR, France’s standardization body, published experimental standards to help the business community transition smoothly:

• E-invoicing formats & messaging: XP Z12-012
• PDP technical API interfaces: XP Z12-013
• B2B transaction use cases: XP Z12-014
• Additionally, the Factur-X format, version 1.07, was updated to better align with EU standards, reflecting corrections and new document types.

Supported submission formats include:

• Structured: UBL, CII D16B, XCBL
• Hybrid: Minimum UBL, CPP hybrid, FACTUR-X (PDF-A3), Minimum CII
• PDF submissions remain permissible until 2028, after which only structured data will be accepted.

Testing, Labelling, and Transition Supports

• A pilot project conducted from February to June 2025 validated the new directory systems and interoperability, involving multiple companies and PDPs.
• Solution labels: Two new labels—“Compatible Solutions” and “Approved Platforms”—now help businesses identify trusted, compliant providers.
• Continuous improvement: Ongoing testing and feedback loops ensure the regulatory framework evolves in line with business needs and technical advancements.

Enforcement and Penalties

To ensure timely and comprehensive adoption, authorities have introduced fines for non-compliance:

• Businesses: €15 per missed invoice (capped at €15,000/year)
• PDPs: €15 per invoice (capped at €45,000/year)
• These penalties underscore the seriousness of the reform and the importance of meeting all compliance obligations.

Scope of the Reform

France’s digital mandate spans:

• All domestic B2B invoices (compulsory e-invoicing)
• B2C transactions, cross-border dealings, service imports, and payment status notifications (tracked through e-reporting or future mechanisms)

Implications and Recommendations

For businesses, preparation is crucial:

• Engage early with a certified PDP to ensure a smooth transition.
• Update invoicing and ERP systems to comply with newly approved structured formats.
• Monitor compliance to avoid fines and operational disruptions.
• Leverage solution labels to choose platforms that guarantee interoperability and support.
• This comprehensive digital reform is more than a regulatory obligation—it is an opportunity for French companies to modernize, outperform global peers, and future-proof their financial operations.

Trusted Tech Partner: Webtel’s Global E-Invoicing Expertise

Webtel has built a strong reputation for delivering fast, secure, and compliant e-invoicing solutions across multiple geographies—including India, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and Mauritius. Their platforms integrate seamlessly with leading ERPs like SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft Dynamics etc. enabling:

• Real-time invoice generation and validation
• Bulk uploads and e-invoice generation
• End-to-end compliance with country-specific mandates
• Customizable invoice templates and audit trails
• Support for cross-border formats and multilingual interfaces

Webtel’s successful implementations—especially under ZATCA’s e-invoicing regime in Saudi Arabia—demonstrate their ability to meet tight deadlines, complex business needs, and evolving regulatory standards

Conclusion

France’s July 2025 e-invoicing update is a landmark shift toward digital-first business practices, stronger data integrity, and international trade facilitation. Embracing these changes now will help businesses secure their place in Europe’s fast-evolving digital marketplace.

Please email at contact@webtel.in or call us at +91 95821 66802 to understand more about invoicing and how we can help you in this endeavour.