Getting ready for e-invoicing: five steps and a start date
Choose your size category and how many weeks you want to give yourself: the tool places the five steps on the calendar.
Start no later than
9 June 2027
To be ready to issue on 1 September 2027.
| Invoice and customer inventory | 9 June 2027 |
| Choice of approved platform | 30 June 2027 |
| Mentions and SIREN update | 21 July 2027 |
| Sending and receiving tests | 11 August 2027 |
| Go-live | 1 September 2027 |
Steps spread evenly; adjust the length to your invoice volume.
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · Tax code, BOFiP and approved-platform list checked on 25 October 2026
For an SME or micro-business, the deadline that matters is 1 September 2027: from that date, your invoices to other businesses established in France must be issued electronically, through an approved platform. Receiving has already been mandatory since 1 September 2026. Getting ready takes five steps. First an inventory: who your business customers are, their SIREN numbers, how many invoices you issue and with which tool. Then choosing the platform, from the official list, according to your real needs. Then updating your invoices: the four new mentions and your customers’ SIREN numbers. Next come sending and receiving tests with a few customers. Finally the switch, on your date. The tool spreads these steps over the length you choose and gives the latest date to start. Nothing prevents issuing electronically before your date, which lets you switch without pressure.
The five steps
| Step | What to do | Where to find the tool |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Inventory | List business customers, SIREN, volumes, tools | Obligation check |
| 2. Platform | Choose from the official list, sign the agreement | Platform comparison |
| 3. Invoices | Add the four mentions and SIREN numbers | List of mentions, SIREN check |
| 4. Tests | Send and receive with a few customers | Factur-X creator |
| 5. Switch | Issue all invoices through the platform | Timetable |
The inventory, the most useful step
The inventory answers three questions: whom you invoice, how much, and with what. Separate business customers established in France, who will receive e-invoices, from consumers and foreign customers, who fall under e-reporting. Note each business customer’s SIREN: it is a new mandatory mention, under article 242 nonies A of annex II to the tax code. The obligation check then tells you exactly what applies to you.
Choosing and testing
Choosing the platform is done on neutral criteria: status, e-reporting, formats, link with your accounting, storage, exit terms. Once the agreement is signed, run trials with a few loyal customers: a real invoice, submitted on the platform, received and read by the customer. The Factur-X creator lets you prepare a first file if your current tool does not yet produce one.
Start no later than
Start no later than
14 April 2027
| Invoice and customer inventory | 14 April 2027 |
| Choice of approved platform | 19 May 2027 |
| Mentions and SIREN update | 23 June 2027 |
| Sending and receiving tests | 28 July 2027 |
The timetable to keep in mind
The 2024 finance act set the dates, summed up by the service-public.fr page on the timetable. Receiving for all on 1 September 2026, issuing for large and mid-sized companies on the same day, issuing for SMEs and micro-businesses on 1 September 2027. The detailed timetable also covers e-reporting dates.
Pitfalls to avoid
Waiting until the last month, when platforms will be busiest. Choosing without reading the exit terms. Forgetting deposit invoices and credit notes, which follow the same rules. Neglecting receiving, already mandatory, while focusing on issuing. And not telling your customers: a simple note, a few weeks before your date, avoids many blocked invoices.
Telling customers and suppliers
The switch goes better when your partners know what to expect. Tell your business customers the date from which your invoices will arrive through your platform, and check that they are listed in the directory. Ask your suppliers to send their invoices to your platform rather than by email as soon as they issue electronically. Finally, tell your accountant which platform you chose, so they can collect invoices without retyping. These exchanges take a few messages and avoid blocked invoices in the first weeks.