What is electronic invoicing and how does it work?

Here's everything you need to know about e-invoicing with Qonto.

What is e-invoicing?

E-invoicing lets businesses exchange invoices in a structured electronic format through government-Accredited Platforms (in French, "Plateformes Agréées," or PAs).

It applies to B2B transactions between VAT-registered businesses in France, and it's set to gradually replace paper invoices and unstructured PDFs.

Qonto is an Accredited Platform (PA), so you can send and receive e-invoices straight from your Qonto account, no extra software needed.

Sending vs. receiving: two different things

Here's the single most important thing to understand: sending e-invoices to your clients and receiving them from your suppliers work in completely different ways.

Who does this apply to?

E-invoicing applies to any French business that's registered for VAT and does business with other companies (B2B). That covers:

• Companies (SARL, SAS, SA, and so on)
• Sole traders (EI, EIRL)
• Freelancers and self-employed people — including those under the VAT exemption scheme ("franchise en base"). Not charging VAT doesn't put you outside the reform: you're still legally "VAT-registered," so at the very least, you'll need to be able to receive e-invoices.

The only businesses truly out of scope are the ones with no VAT registration at all — private individuals, some non-commercial associations, and a handful of specific legal exceptions (small-scale solar power producers under 3 kWc, for instance).

Not sure where you stand? Your accountant can confirm your VAT status.

When does e-invoicing become mandatory?

September 1, 2026 is the big one: every VAT-registered business in France, whatever its size, must be able to receive e-invoices from that date. No exceptions, no phasing — this deadline applies to everyone.

Sending is rolled out more gradually, based on company size:

• September 1, 2026: large companies and mid-sized companies (ETI) — roughly speaking, businesses with 250+ employees and/or €50 million+ in annual turnover (the official criteria also factor in balance sheet size; ask your accountant if you're not sure which bucket you fall into).
• September 1, 2027: everyone else — SMEs, small businesses, and micro-businesses.

If your deadline hasn't arrived yet, you don't have to wait: you can start sending e-invoices voluntarily whenever you're ready, and Qonto already supports it.

What's an Accredited Platform (PA)?

An Accredited Platform is a company registered with the French tax authority (DGFiP) to handle the exchange of e-invoices between businesses and the tax administration, via the Public Invoicing Portal (PPF). You might still see the older term "Plateforme de Dématérialisation Partenaire" (PDP) floating around — that's the same thing under its previous name.

Why use Qonto as your PA:

• Supplier invoices land automatically in Supplier invoices, ready to review and pay
• Client invoices route automatically and correctly to your clients' platforms
• Real-time status tracking on every invoice
• Included in every Qonto plan, no extra cost

Is Qonto a certified PA?

Yes — Qonto is registered as an Accredited Platform with the DGFiP.

Beyond the DGFiP registration, Accredited Platforms are also expected to undergo the "PA-Ready" label audit, a compliance audit confirming that a platform meets the regulatory requirements expected of a PA. Qonto is preparing to undergo this audit; we'll update this section with the outcome once it's completed.

Is e-invoicing included in my Qonto plan?

Yes — sending and receiving are both included in every Qonto plan, free of charge, with no limits. No hidden fees, no per-invoice cost.

How do I turn on receiving for supplier invoices?

This only applies to receiving. There's nothing to set up for sending (see the question on sending below).

1. Go to Settings > E-invoicing
2. Register Qonto as your Plateforme Agréée (PA) by completing the government directory registration — it takes about a minute and is free
3. Once registered, your company is added to the national directory (Annuaire). This usually completes within up to 5 working days, during which your status in Settings > E-invoicing shows In progress: there's nothing to do, we'll notify you once it's done

After that, your suppliers' e-invoices land automatically in Supplier invoices — there's no separate address you need to generate or share.

Already set up with another PA? No problem — our support team handles the switch for you. Just reach out via chat and let us know you'd like to migrate to Qonto (more on that in the portability question below).

What does the status in Settings > E-invoicing mean?

Once you've started the registration process, your Settings > E-invoicing page shows one of the following statuses:

• In progress — your registration is being processed. This can mean: (1) normal registration in the national directory (up to 5 working days); (2) the tax authority (DGFiP) hasn't confirmed your eligibility yet, or your company isn't listed in the directory yet — this isn't a rejection; (3) a transfer from another platform is in progress (up to 5 working days). Either way, there's nothing to do — we'll notify you once it's done.
• Pending — your e-invoicing setup has been created; the final directory update is in progress (usually 1–2 working days).
• Active — you're all set: you can send and receive e-invoices. Make sure your suppliers know Qonto is your registered PA.
• Deactivation in progress — your deactivation request is being processed; you'll keep receiving e-invoices until it's complete.
• Registered on another platform — your company is already registered for e-invoicing with a different PA; you can switch to Qonto (see the portability questions below).

How do I know if my clients or suppliers are already set up for e-invoicing?

Qonto shows an e-invoicing badge next to any client or supplier who's already active on e-invoicing. You'll see it:

• in your client list
• in an invoice's details
• on a supplier's profile

If a client doesn't have the badge yet, you can invite them to activate e-invoicing directly from their profile, in one click.

How do I send an e-invoice through Qonto?

There's no PA activation needed to send. One thing is required though: a one-time declaration of your company size, on the "Send electronic invoices to clients" section. If you see "Company size required" there, click it and pick your size. Whichever you pick, sending becomes available.

1. Create your invoice as usual in Account receivable > Client invoices
2. Finalize it so it gets its official invoice number
3. You're done. If your client can receive e-invoices, Qonto detects it and sends the invoice to their platform automatically. Whether that send is mandatory or optional depends on your company size: if your company is large, e-invoicing the invoice is mandatory and happens with no further choice; if it isn't, you can choose not to send a given invoice electronically when you create it.
4. Keep an eye on the send status in Client invoices

Can I add a buyer reference or a purchase order number to my invoice?

Not in a dedicated field yet. The buyer reference (BT-10) and the purchase order reference (BT-13) will get their own fields in Qonto around mid-October 2026.

In the meantime, you can add them yourself when you create the invoice. Go to **Account receivable > Client invoices > New invoice and in the Products and services section. Open Custom messages > Additional notes. Type each reference on its own line, for example:

Référence de l'acheteur : XXX`

Référence du bon de commande : XXX`

Both lines appear at the bottom of your invoice, and they're included in the note field of the electronic invoice sent to your client.

⚠️ This is a temporary solution. If your client's system requires the reference in its own dedicated field (often the case for public-sector buyers going through Chorus Pro) your invoice may still be rejected. In that case, wait for the dedicated fields to be released before invoicing them electronically.

Why am I asked for my company size?

• Because the law makes issuing electronic invoices mandatory at different dates depending on company size, Qonto needs to know which applies to you. It's a one-time declaration.
• Large or mid-sized company: issuing has been mandatory since 1 September 2026, so every eligible invoice is sent electronically with no per-invoice choice.
• Everyone else: issuing becomes mandatory on 1 September 2027. Until then you can send electronically whenever you want, and you can also choose not to for a given invoice.
• This declaration never prevents you from sending: it only determines which of the two regimes applies to you.

What if my client doesn't have an active PA address?

There's no decision for you to make here — Qonto figures out your client's situation automatically. Two outcomes are possible:

• Client not found in the national directory → the invoice goes out by email as usual, nothing changes on your end
• Client found in the directory, but without an active PA address → Qonto still files the invoice with the tax authority (PPF), marked with the status Déposée ("Deposited") and the reason NON_TRANSMISE ("not transmitted"). Your invoice is fully compliant and on record — it just didn't reach your client electronically, so you'll need to send it yourself the old-fashioned way (email or PDF).

Want this client to receive future invoices electronically? They'll need to sign up with an Accredited Platform first. Once they have, add their e-invoicing address to their client record in Qonto, and future invoices will route automatically.

What does NON_TRANSMISE mean?

NON_TRANSMISE is a reason code attached to the Déposée status. It simply means your invoice was successfully filed with the tax authority, but couldn't be delivered electronically because your client doesn't have an active PA address yet.

It's not a rejection — your invoice is valid and on record. You just need to send a copy to your client directly (email or PDF) so they actually receive it.

How do I receive e-invoices through Qonto?

Once you've set up receiving (see above), your suppliers can start sending invoices straight to your Qonto e-invoicing address.

They'll show up automatically in Account receivable > Supplier invoices, and you'll get an email notification for each one.

Qonto also tries to automatically match each incoming invoice with the corresponding bank transaction.

Can I receive my e-invoices separately for each of my establishments?

Not yet. Your e-invoicing address is registered at SIREN level, which means all your suppliers' invoices arrive at a single address, whichever establishment they relate to.

So if you check the directory, you will see your address registered at SIREN level and not SIRET: that is normal, there is no error in your registration.

The ability to have one address per establishment is planned for end of October 2026.

How do I check the status of my e-invoices?

Head to Account receivable> Client invoices, then open the invoice you want to check. The e-invoicing status appears inside the invoice details; if the invoice is in a critical state, such as rejected or refused, you'll also see that directly from the invoice list. Here's what the statuses mean:

• Déposée (Deposited) → filed and being processed. If your client doesn't have an active PA address, you'll also see the NON_TRANSMISE reason attached (see above)
• Rejetée (Rejected) → rejected on sending or receiving, usually for a compliance issue like a duplicate
• Refusée (Refused) → your client reviewed the invoice and refused it, for example because of an error in the content
• Approuvée (Approved) → your client has validated the invoice

Can I edit an e-invoice after I've sent it?

No. Once sent, an e-invoice can't be changed. If you spot a mistake, issue a credit note to cancel the original invoice, then create a fresh, corrected one.

Which invoice formats does Qonto support?

Qonto works with:

• Factur-X: a hybrid PDF/A-3 with embedded XML data, readable by both humans and machines
• UBL 2.1 (Universal Business Language) : a structured XML file, designed to be read by software rather than by a person
• CII (Cross Industry Invoice) : also a structured XML file, designed to be read by software rather than by a person

All three comply with the European EN 16931 standard and the French reform's requirements (the AFNOR standard). Only Factur-X guarantees a readable version of the invoice: if a supplier sends you a UBL 2.1 or CII invoice, the file itself may not be readable on screen (see below).

Why can't I read an invoice I received?

E-invoices are standardized digital documents exchanged directly between platforms. Under this standard, the platform sending the invoice must always produce an XML file containing all the invoice data. 
But it isn't always required to also attach a PDF that renders the invoice in a readable format. When it doesn't, the file you receive is the raw data file, which isn't meant to be read on screen. That's what's happening with the invoice you're looking at.

Good news: the invoice was received correctly. You'll find all its details (supplier, amount, date, due date) in Account receivable > Supplier invoices. It's matched to the corresponding transaction as usual, even though the file preview isn't readable yet.

We're working on converting these files into readable invoices automatically. In the meantime, if you need a readable copy, you can ask your supplier to send you one, or to invoice you in Factur-X format, which always includes a readable version.

What's e-reporting?

E-reporting is the automatic transmission of transaction data to the DGFiP. It covers transactions that fall outside mandatory e-invoicing: cross-border B2B sales, international purchases, and B2C sales.

Don't mix it up with e-invoicing:

• E-invoicing → exchanging actual invoices between businesses via a PA
• E-reporting → reporting transaction data to the DGFiP, without an invoice necessarily changing hands

Qonto currently offers e-reporting in beta for cross-border B2B transactions (Flux 10.1), on web only, for the French market.

Can I switch to a different Accredited Platform?

Yes, you're free to leave Qonto for another PA whenever you like. To meet PDPready audit requirements, Qonto makes its PA portability procedure available to customers here: Procedure for porting from one authorized platform to another. The whole handover happens between your new PA and Qonto directly — all you need to do is confirm the request.

Here's how it works:

1. Ask your new PA to kick off the portability request with Qonto on your behalf. This happens platform-to-platform, so you won't need to request a token yourself, and we can't hand you one directly either — this keeps you from ever being left without a working e-invoicing address mid-switch.
2. We'll send you a confirmation email with a short form to fill out. This just confirms the request really came from you (useful if, say, your accountant kicked it off).
3. Once you've confirmed, the switch takes effect within 5 business days, and your new PA automatically gets everything it needs to finish the migration.

Before you switch, worth knowing:

• Cost: Qonto's Accredited Platform is included in your plan at no extra cost. Your new PA might charge its own fees.
• No confirmation email? Check your spam folder first, then reach out to support.

⚠️ Didn't request this switch yourself? Don't fill out the form — contact our support team right away.

I'm on another platform right now — how do I switch to Qonto?

Moving to Qonto works the same way as moving away from it: it's a portability request between platforms. The difference is that this direction isn't self-service. You'll need to reach out to us, and we'll kick off the process on your behalf. No need to contact your current platform yourself.

Plan ahead: your current platform has 5 business days to respond to the request, and the directory update follows. Receiving e-invoices becomes mandatory for everyone on 1 September 2026, so a switch started in late August will not realistically be complete by that date. Start as early as you can.

How do I deactivate e-invoicing on my Qonto account?

If you want to stop using Qonto as your PA, ask your new PA to initiate the portability request with Qonto on your behalf (see the switching questions above). You don't need to request anything yourself. You'll get a confirmation email from Qonto with a form to validate, and the transfer of your e-invoicing setup takes effect within 5 business days.

⚠️ Important: from September 2026, having a PA becomes mandatory for every VAT-registered business in France. From that date, it won't be possible to deactivate e-invoicing without first subscribing to another PA and being without a PA won't be an option.

💡 Note for businesses based in Italy: e-invoicing is already a legal obligation in Italy, so it can't be deactivated for Italian accounts.