France’s 2026 e-Invoicing mandate: What we learned in our compliance webinar

As France pushes forward with its nationwide e-invoicing and e-reporting mandate, our recent compliance webinar brought much-needed clarity to what lies ahead

By Ioana Ploesteanu, Product Marketing Manager, Tradeshift

France is moving full steam ahead with its 2026 e-invoicing and e-reporting mandate, and if our latest compliance webinar made anything clear, it’s that businesses need to start preparing now.

With updates from the French government, insights from our pilot with Air France, and early lessons from Tradeshift’s own PDP (Partner Dematerialization Platform) development, the message is consistent: readiness is no longer optional.

Here’s a closer look at the highlights.

On June 11th we are hosting an Ask Us Anything virtual round table for the France e-invoicing mandate and our PDP solution. Register now.

The Road to 2026: Mandate Timelines You Need to Know

The countdown is officially on. France’s government is staying firm on its September 2026 enforcement date for mandatory B2B e-invoicing and e-reporting. Leading up to that:

• Final specs for invoice formats and lifecycles will be announced by AFNOR in July 2026.
• PDP registrations will be finalized between October and December 2025. Tradeshift is a registered PDP (PDP immatriculée) since August 19th 2024. Our registration number is 0036.
• Live invoice exchanges could begin as early as January 2026, depending on government infrastructure readiness.

Despite past delays, the French government’s position is clear: the mandate is moving forward, and it has full institutional backing. Businesses should use this lead time wisely.

Our Pilot with Air France: Real-World Lessons

As one of the first PDP pilots in France, Tradeshift’s collaboration with Air France is offering invaluable insights. Focused initially on receiving invoices, the project dives deep into the realities of compliance preparation for a large enterprise. Our team has been working closely with Air France to:

• Collect directory data and define applicable use cases.
• Align regulatory demands with their ERP system needs.
• Adapt our platform for France-based suppliers.
• Navigate the complexities of mandatory vs. optional compliance measures.

This partnership serves as more than just an experiment. It is actively molding our complete PDP solution and providing vital insights into supporting other organizations in their preparation efforts.

PDP Readiness: Where Tradeshift Stands

We’ve made significant technical strides toward full compliance. For starters, our interactions with the national Directory have passed both technical and functional testing. Tradeshift has now been invited to begin production access steps—proof of our early and continued alignment with government infrastructure.

The Concentrator, meanwhile, remains less defined. While public technical details are scarce, we’re drawing on our deep experience with Chorus Pro, where we’ve had automated integration flows in place since 2017. It’s expected that the Concentrator will follow a similar API model, which gives us—and our customers—a head start.

Preparing for What’s Next: Two Paths, One Urgency

If you’re already using Tradeshift, now’s the time to mobilize both technical and business resources. That includes updating ERP interfaces, integrating new document types, mapping compliance-required data, and testing updated workflows. Equally important: business validation and rejection management processes need a hard look.

If you’re not yet on Tradeshift, your starting point is building a roadmap. That means forming a dedicated compliance team, defining invoicing use cases across B2B, B2G, B2C, and e-reporting, running spec workshops, and assessing the impact on ERP systems. The earlier you start, the smoother the transition.

Poll Results: The Market Is Underprepared

During the webinar, we asked attendees where they stood. The results speak volumes:

• Only 10% have automated electronic invoices today.
• Just 6% are in the process of signing with a PDP.
• A full 55% are still processing invoices via PDF or email.
• The top concerns? Mapping data and integrating with ERP systems.

The message is clear: companies need to act fast to avoid falling behind.

Why Tradeshift Is the Smart PDP Choice

Let’s not bury the lead: Tradeshift is a registered PDP (immatriculée) as of August 19, 2024, and we’ve been a Certified Peppol Access Point since 2014. But our value runs deeper than certification.

• Scale and Reliability: 42 million documents exchanged every month, across 200 countries, by 150,000+ businesses.
• Global Compliance Power: We support invoicing and e-reporting in over 60 countries, in 26 languages, and are Clearance-ready in 12 markets.
• Deep Experience: Trusted integration with Chorus Pro (France), Mercurius (Belgium), and Luxembourg’s B2G systems.
• Interoperability: Our platform is tested with other PDPs and built to connect seamlessly.
• Beyond Compliance: We offer an AI-powered ecosystem for AP automation, cash flow optimization, and supplier collaboration.

Our expertise has been recognized too—Tradeshift is rated 4.5/5 by IDC and listed as a “Major Player” in IDC’s 2024 MarketScape for e-invoicing in Europe.

Don’t Wait for the Deadline

The French e-invoicing mandate isn’t just a compliance requirement—it’s a business transformation opportunity. But only for those who act early.

Tradeshift is ready. Are you?

Choose your PDP now. Choose Tradeshift.

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