
Alper Aladag
27. März 2025
POTENTIAL ONE-YEAR DELAY IN FRENCH E-INVOICING MANDATE UNDER DRAFT LAW
On March 24th, the French Senate approved a draft law that could significantly reshape the e-invoicing roadmap in France. While many expected only a minor delay for smaller businesses, the proposed changes go much further.
1. A Broader Delay Than Initially Expected
Contrary to early interpretations, the draft law postpones the entire French e-invoicing mandate, not just the deadlines for SMEs and micro-enterprises.
All VAT-registered businesses in France could be affected.
The delay includes both the issuance and reception of e-invoices.
Proposed New Deadlines
If the draft law is adopted in its current form during the next parliamentary session on April 24th, here’s what the new timeline would look like the following table:
Mandate Type | Business Category | Definition | Original Deadline | New Deadline |
Receiving | All Businesses | All VAT-registered businesses in France | September 2026 | September 2027 |
Issuance | Large Enterprises | Over 5,000 employees OR Revenue > €1.5B OR Balance Sheet > €2B | September 2026 | September 2027 |
Mid-Sized Enterprises | 250–4,999 employees AND Revenue ≤ €1.5B AND Balance Sheet ≤ €2B | September 2026 | September 2027 | |
SMEs and Micro-Enterprises | SMEs: <250 employees AND Revenue ≤ €50M OR Balance Sheet ≤ €43M Micro: <10 employees AND Revenue ≤ €2M | September 2027 | September 2028 |
Table-1 : New E-invoice Receiving and Issuance Mandate Deadlines in France
Why Is This Happening?
The delay appears to be a response to a major policy change announced in October 2024:
The Public Portal (PPF) will no longer support invoice issuance.
This eliminates the free, state-run e-invoice platform businesses were counting on.
Lawmakers argue that businesses deserve more time to adapt to a PDP-only ecosystem.
What Should Businesses Do?
Despite the uncertainty, companies shouldn’t hit pause on their preparations.
Use the available time to:
Select or integrate with a certified PDP (Plateforme de Dématérialisation Partenaire)
Ensure systems are compliant with French e-invoicing formats
Stay alert to the final decision expected on April 24th
Stay Informed – Stay Ahead
While nothing is final yet, businesses operating in France need to follow the legislative developments closely. The proposed postponement gives extra breathing room — but only if it becomes law.