Check if your French customer is ready for e-invoicing
From 1 September 2026, every French VAT-registered business must be able to receive electronic invoices. Search your customer below to get their SIREN, then check their registration in the official French directory — with every step explained in English.
Which one is your customer?
French groups often register many legal entities under similar names. Pick the one that matches the address and SIREN on your customer's invoices or purchase orders.
Your customer
The button copies the SIREN to your clipboard and opens the official directory (l'annuaire) in a new tab. We never query that directory for you — it is CAPTCHA-protected and its API is reserved for approved platforms.
On the issuing date: "company size" above is the statistical class INSEE publishes in the company register, computed for the enterprise as a whole. The obligation to issue is assessed per legal entity — under the LME criteria (décret n° 2008-1354) on that entity's own last closed accounts — so a small subsidiary of a large group can appear here as large yet only have to issue from 1 September 2027. Treat the issuing date as an indication and confirm it with your customer. The obligation to receive on 1 September 2026 has no size test and applies to every French VAT-registered business.
How to read the official directory
The directory is French-only. Here is what you will see, in order.
- A security check appears first. Complete the CAPTCHA. This is normal — the directory is public but protected against automated lookups. There is no way to skip it, and no tool may legitimately bypass it.
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Paste the SIREN into the search field.
It is already on your clipboard:
. Search by SIREN rather than by name — names in the directory are legal names, not trading names. -
Read the registration line.
Plateforme(s) agréée(s) rattachée(s) : Oui "Approved platform(s) attached: Yes" — the company is registered with at least one approved platform (a Plateforme Agréée, PA, formerly PDP). They can receive structured e-invoices.Plateforme(s) agréée(s) rattachée(s) : Non "No" — they have not yet linked a platform. Before 1 September 2026 this is common and not alarming. After that date it is a real problem for them, and worth raising.
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Check the billing address line.
Aucune adresse de facturation active "No active billing address." Ahead of 1 September 2026 this is the normal state for most companies: registrations are being published progressively. It means there is not yet a live routing address you can send to — not that the company is non-compliant.
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Note the routing granularity.
The directory shows how finely a company wants invoices addressed.
SIREN One routing address for the whole legal entity. Address invoices to the 9-digit SIREN.SIREN_SIRET Routing per establishment. You must use the 14-digit SIRET of the specific site being billed — the head-office SIRET is not automatically correct.SIREN_SIRET_CODE_ROUTAGE (suffix / routing code) Routing per department or cost centre. You need the SIRET plus a routing code that only your customer can give you. Ask for it explicitly.
- Record what you found. Save the SIREN, the routing level, and the platform name against the customer record in your accounting system. You will need all three when you start issuing structured invoices.
Open the official directory again · Browse the 148 approved platforms
What this means for you
If you are a non-French supplier invoicing a French business, the French e-invoicing reform changes how your invoices arrive, not whether you get paid.
Your French client will receive invoices through a platform
From 1 September 2026, every French VAT-registered business must be able to receive electronic invoices. They do this by registering with an approved platform — a Plateforme Agréée (PA), the term that replaced "PDP". The platform sits between you and them: it receives the structured invoice, validates it, and delivers it into their accounts-payable system.
Obligation to issue arrives in two waves
Large and mid-size French companies (grandes entreprises and ETI) must also issue structured e-invoices from 1 September 2026. Small companies and micro-businesses get an extra year, until 1 September 2027. The receive obligation has no such staggering — it applies to everyone from day one.
Which wave a given company falls into is decided per legal entity, on the headcount and turnover thresholds of the loi de modernisation de l'économie (décret n° 2008-1354), using that entity's own last closed accounts. It is not decided by the group it belongs to. The size class this checker shows comes from the register's statistical classification, which is computed at enterprise level — a good indicator, but not the legal test. If the date matters to you commercially, ask the customer to confirm it.
PDF by email will progressively stop working
Nothing switches off overnight, but a PDF attached to an email is not a compliant electronic invoice under the reform. As your customers migrate, their platforms and AP teams will increasingly reject or simply ignore emailed PDFs. Expect the tolerance to shrink through 2026 and 2027.
What to ask your client — now, before September
- Which approved platform (PA) do you use? Get the platform name in writing.
- What is your routing address, and at which level? SIREN, SIRET, or SIRET plus a routing code — see the guide above.
- Which format do you want? Factur-X, UBL, CII, or Peppol BIS. Most platforms accept several.
- Can we run one test invoice before September? A single dry run surfaces routing mistakes while they are still cheap.
- Who is our contact if an invoice is rejected? Rejections come back through the platform, not by email.
Note on scope: as a non-French supplier you are generally not obliged to issue through a French platform yourself. But your customer's ability to receive determines whether your invoice lands. That is what this checker is for.
Get the September 1 survival checklist for non-French suppliers
One email, when the checklist is ready: what to collect from each French customer, in what order, and what to do if they are not registered by September.
We store your address in a file on our own server and use it only to send this checklist and occasional updates about the French mandate. No third-party marketing tools, no tracking pixels, no sharing. Reply to any email to be removed.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if a French company is registered in the annuaire?
Find the company's 9-digit SIREN — search for it by name at the top of this page — then open the official directory at facturation.chorus-pro.gouv.fr/annuaire, complete the security check, and paste the SIREN into the search field. The result tells you whether an approved platform is attached (Plateforme(s) agréée(s) rattachée(s)) and at what level invoices should be routed. The step-by-step guide above translates each line.
Which PDP does my customer use?
"PDP" is the old name; the official term is now Plateforme Agréée (PA). The official directory shows whether a platform is attached to a company, and where a company has published it, which one. If the directory does not name it, ask your customer directly — their finance or AP team will know. You can browse all 148 approved platforms here.
Is the French e-invoicing directory available in English?
No. The official directory (l'annuaire) is French-only, and there is no English interface. That is why this page exists: we help you find the right SIREN and translate every phrase you will encounter, so you can read the official result yourself.
What is a Plateforme Agréée?
A Plateforme Agréée (PA, formerly PDP) is a service provider registered by the French tax authority (DGFiP) to transmit, receive and validate electronic invoices, and to report the required data to the tax administration. Every French business must use one to receive e-invoices from 1 September 2026. Registration is granted provisionally first, then confirmed after interoperability testing.
Why does the directory say "Aucune adresse de facturation active"?
It means the company has no active billing address published yet. Before 1 September 2026 this is the normal state for most companies — registrations are being published progressively as businesses onboard to their platforms. It is not evidence that your customer is non-compliant. Re-check closer to September.
Do I have to issue e-invoices if I am not French?
The French obligation to issue applies to businesses established in France. As a foreign supplier you are generally outside it. What affects you is the receive side: your French customer will be taking invoices through a platform, so emailed PDFs will become progressively less workable. Agree a format and routing address with each French customer before September.
When exactly does my customer have to start issuing e-invoices?
Large enterprises and ETI issue from 1 September 2026; SMEs, micro-businesses and the self-employed from 1 September 2027. Which category a company falls into is assessed per legal entity, on the headcount and turnover thresholds set by décret n° 2008-1354 under the loi de modernisation de l'économie, using that entity's own last closed accounts — not its group's. The size class shown on the result card comes from the register's statistical classification, which is computed for the enterprise as a whole, so it is a strong indicator rather than the legal answer. Where the difference matters, ask your customer to confirm their date. The obligation to receive is simpler: 1 September 2026, everyone, no size test.
What is the difference between a SIREN and a SIRET?
A SIREN is the 9-digit identifier of the legal entity. A SIRET is 14 digits: the SIREN plus a 5-digit establishment code identifying one physical site. E-invoice routing may be defined at either level — the directory tells you which. If your customer routes at SIRET level, the head-office SIRET is not automatically the right one.
Is this tool official?
No. We are not affiliated with the DGFiP or Chorus Pro. We resolve company identities using the French government's open company register API and link you to the official directory to read the authoritative answer yourself. We never automate or scrape the directory.