Understanding eInvoicing in France

eInvoicing in France is built on a government-regulated model that affects how businesses send, receive, and report invoices. This article explains how it works and how Continia eDocuments supports it in Continia Document Capture.

Legislation in France

From 1 September 2026, businesses subject to French VAT must be able to receive eInvoices – while large and mid-size enterprises must also be able to issue eInvoices. Small and micro businesses must follow from 1 September 2027.

The legislation is built on a continuous transaction controls (CTC) model overseen by the French tax administration (Direction générale des Finances publiques, or DGFiP). Invoices are no longer exchanged directly between trading partners, but through state-certified platforms known as plateformes agréées (PA). The PAs are also in charge of reporting the required data to the authorities.

Alongside eInvoicing for domestic B2B, the French government introduced eReporting for transactions that fall outside its scope, such as B2C sales and cross-border B2B.

Continia eDocuments connects Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central to a certified PA, so you can send, receive, and report compliant eInvoices in Document Capture and Continia Document Output.

Supported formats

The French eInvoicing requirements are aligned with the European standard EN 16931 and the French national specification AFNOR XP Z12-012 (French government website, in French), which defines the formats, profiles, and business rules accepted in the country. Continia eDocuments supports the CII and UBL 2.1 formats in the French profile EXTENDED-CTC-FR. For more information, see Supported electronic document formats.

Mandatory lifecycle updates

In France, an eInvoice is not a one-off transmission. It has a statut du cycle de vie, or lifecycle status. As eInvoices move between parties and their platforms, status changes must be reported through the PA.

Continia eDocuments supports the mandatory lifecycle statuses required by the French model, so you're aligned with what the DGFiP expects at each stage of the process. For example, when an invoice is received, accepted, or refused, these updates are handled automatically as part of the sending and receiving flow.

Mandatory eReporting

For B2C sales and cross-border B2B transactions, French legislation requires the transmission of transaction and payment data to the DGFiP through the PA, even when no eInvoices are exchanged.

Continia eDocuments supports the French eReporting obligations alongside eInvoicing, so you can meet both requirements from the same solution.

For more information, see eReporting for France.

Scenario framework

eInvoicing in France covers a wide range of business situations, such as standard invoices, credit notes, prepayments, self-billing, third-party billing, and others. These use cases are defined by the specification AFNOR XP Z12-014 (French government website, in French), which describes the supported flows or cas d'usage. Each flow maps to a specific use case with its own data and routing requirements.

Continia eDocuments uses a scenario framework to configure these flows, so each supported use case follows the right structure and lifecycle without manual work.

For more information, see eDocuments scenarios.

To start using eInvoicing in France

To get started with eInvoicing in France, you must formally designate Continia's PA in the national directory by completing and signing the official designation form. For more information, see Designating Continia's 'plateforme agréée' in France.

Next, complete the Continia Delivery Network (CDN) assisted setup guide within the French localization of Document Capture. For more information, see Setting up the Continia Delivery Network.

Need help?

If you have questions or feedback regarding Continia's support for French eInvoicing, use the dedicated form on Continia PartnerZone.

1. Log in to the PartnerZone (only for partners).
2. On the menu bar, click Help Center > Get Help.
3. Click Submit a request.
4. In the dropdown menu, select eInvoicing France Mandate.
5. Fill out and submit the form, providing as much detail as possible.