What is electronic invoicing and how does it work?

E-invoicing is a reform introduced by the French government to modernise business-to-business exchanges and improve the tracking of invoicing flows.

This reform applies to all VAT-registered businesses in France that carry out B2B transactions (between businesses). It also includes freelancers and self-employed individuals, even if they benefit from the VAT exemption threshold (franchise en base de TVA): as long as they carry out transactions with other VAT-registered businesses in France.

What exactly is changing?

• New invoice formats: an electronic invoice must be in a structured format (e.g. Factur-X, UBL, CII). A PDF sent by email is no longer sufficient.
• Exchanges via an Approved Platform ("AP", formerly known as "PDP"): invoices must be issued, transmitted and received via a certified platform, and no longer by email or simple PDF. An AP is an intermediary recognised by the State, connected to the public network, which routes invoices to the right recipient, guarantees compliance of exchanges and enables status tracking (submission, transmission, receipt, etc.).

Qonto is officially certified as an Approved Platform (AP) by the State, which allows you to use Qonto to comply with the reform and anticipate the transition.

What are the key deadlines?

From 1 September 2026

• Reception: all businesses concerned must be able to receive electronic invoices with no exception based on company size.
• Issuance: large companies and mid-size companies (ETI) defined as businesses with more than 250 employees and/or €50M+ in annual turnover — must also be able to issue invoices in electronic format from this date. 

From 1 September 2027

• Issuance: the obligation to issue extends to SMEs and micro-businesses (with electronic transmission of required information).

☝️ Note: Receiving is mandatory for every concerned business, with no size exception, from this date. Issuance obligations, on the other hand, are staggered by company size (see above).

Why choose Qonto as your AP?

💡 Good to know: Qonto is certified as an Approved Platform by the State, and e-invoicing is included at no extra cost in all our plans.

Choosing Qonto as your AP means benefiting from:

• A free service: the AP is included in all our plans, at no additional cost.
• Automated receipt of your purchase invoices: your supplier invoices arrive directly in Qonto, with no manual import required.
• Centralised financial management: your business account, cash flow and invoicing (clients and suppliers) are all brought together in one tool.
• Better tracking: you can more easily monitor invoice statuses, due dates and payments.
• Simplified accounting collaboration: grant dedicated access to your accountant and use our integrations with most accounting software to easily share all required documents.

How do I activate e-invoicing on Qonto?

To receive your purchase invoices

1. Go to Account Settings → E-invoicing.
2. Register Qonto as your Plateforme Agréée (PA) by completing the government directory registration — this takes about a minute and is free.
3. Once registered, your suppliers' e-invoices will land automatically in Supplier invoices — there is no separate address you need to generate and distribute yourself

What about issuing invoices?

There is nothing to activate to send e-invoices to your clients. When you create and finalise an invoice in Client invoices, Qonto automatically detects whether your client is set up to receive e-invoices:

• If they are, the invoice is routed automatically to their platform — no action needed on your side. You can track the delivery status directly in Client invoices.
• If they aren't yet equipped, your invoice data is filed with the tax administration with the status "Déposée / NON_TRANSMISE". This means your invoice is compliant and recorded, but it could not be transmitted electronically to your customer. 
  ⚠️ This is neither an error nor a rejection — to make sure your customer receives the invoice, send it to them directly through a traditional channel (email / PDF).

How do I know if my partners are already active on e-invoicing?

In your Qonto app, an e-invoicing badge automatically appears next to clients and suppliers who have already activated e-invoicing on Qonto. You can see it:

• in your client list,
• in the details of an invoice,
• on a supplier profile.

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

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

If you wish to deactivate e-invoicing on your Qonto account, ask your new AP to initiate the portability request with Qonto on your behalf. You will receive a confirmation email from Qonto with a form to validate, and then the transfer of your e-invoicing address takes effect within 5 business days. You do not need to request any token yourself.

☝️ Important: From September 2026, having an AP will become mandatory for all VAT-registered businesses in France. From that date, it will no longer be possible to deactivate e-invoicing without having first subscribed to another AP — remaining without an AP will not be an option.

💡 Note for businesses based in Italy: In Italy, e-invoicing is already a legal obligation. It is therefore not possible to deactivate it for Italian accounts.

Can I switch my Approved Platform (AP)?

How does the process work?

1. Contact your new AP and ask them to initiate the portability request with Qonto on your behalf. The transfer happens platform to platform: you don't need to request any token yourself, and Qonto cannot provide you with one directly either. This mechanism ensures you are never left without an e-invoicing address during the switch.
    
2. You will receive a confirmation email from Qonto with a short form to validate. This step verifies that the change was indeed requested by you (for example, if it was initiated by your accountant).
    
3. Once your confirmation is received, the change takes effect within 5 business days. Your new AP automatically receives everything it needs to finalise the migration.

What should I know before switching AP?

• Included in your subscription: Qonto's Approved Platform is included in your subscription, at no additional cost. Your new AP may charge additional fees.
• Confirmation email not received? Check your spam folder, then contact support.

I currently use another platform to receive my e-invoices — how do I switch to Qonto?

Switching to Qonto as your AP works the same way as switching away: the process is a portability request between platforms. In practice, this is not self-serve — you will need to contact us. We will initiate the portability process on your behalf. You do not need to contact your current platform yourself.

Since receiving e-invoices becomes mandatory for every business from September 1, 2026, we recommend starting this process well ahead of the deadline. Once the portability request is completed, your new status will be reflected in Settings → E-invoicing.