Starting September 1, 2026, electronic invoicing will become mandatory for businesses in France. Initially targeting large and intermediate-sized companies, the reform will expand to include all companies—SMEs and micro-enterprises—by September 1, 2027. This reform aims to modernize tax reporting and reduce VAT fraud through digitized, real-time invoice tracking.

In this article, we’ll walk you through what the mandate means, who it affects, and how you can use Mindee’s OCR technology to ensure compliance with minimal operational friction.

📅 Key Compliance Deadlines

🔎 What Is the 2026 France E-Invoicing Mandate?

The reform introduces two major obligations:

• E-invoicing: Businesses must issue and receive invoices in a structured digital format (e.g., Factur-X, UBL, CII).
• E-reporting: Businesses must report transaction data to tax authorities for non-domestic B2B and B2C transactions.

To comply, companies must use either:

• The Public Billing Portal (PPF) provided by the government, or
• A certified Partner Dematerialization Platform (PDP).

Here is the link to learn more about approved platforms and obligations (in French).

🧩 Key Invoice Formats You Need to Know

France recognizes three structured invoice formats:

• Factur-X – A hybrid format combining PDF (for humans) and XML (for machines).
• UBL (Universal Business Language) – Common across Europe.
• CII (Cross Industry Invoice) – Used for advanced B2B exchanges.

We also wrote a guide on Factur-X if you want to dig deeper!

🛠️ Step-by-Step: How to Prepare

Platform & Format Comparison

✅ Checklist for Compliance

1. Determine Your Deadline
   Use the table above to identify when your business must comply.
2. Choose a Platform
   Decide between the free PPF or a PDP. PDPs offer deeper integration and support for bulk workflows. Find certified PDPs here (French site).
3. Adopt a Compliant Format
   Choose a supported structure: Factur-X for hybrid needs or UBL/CII for automation-heavy environments.
4. Train Internal Teams
   Your finance, procurement, and IT teams should understand how to:
   • Handle compliant invoice formats
   • Submit data through the selected platform
   • Track errors or rejections

🚀 How Mindee Supports Your Transition

Mindee makes compliance easier with OCR and document parsing tools that:

• ✅ Extract invoice data instantly from PDFs, scans, or images
• ✅ Output structured data in formats compatible with Factur-X, UBL, and CII
• ✅ Integrate easily into any ERP or middleware used to connect with the PPF or a PDP

By automating invoice capture and structuring, Mindee helps you stay ahead of regulatory changes without unnecessary complexity.

📌 Final Thoughts

France’s 2026 e-invoicing reform is a compliance challenge—but also a chance to upgrade your finance processes. With Mindee, you gain powerful OCR capabilities to digitize workflows and meet legal obligations efficiently.

Need help preparing? Talk to our team and get your system ready before the deadline!