The reform of electronic invoicing is progressing apace. While the timetable offers some breathing space for VSEs and SMEs to issue their invoices, the operational reality will change from 2026 onwards.
As an Authorised Paperless Platform (AP), Azopio guides you through the practicalities of processing your invoices in the future.
1. Calendar reminder: don’t be taken by surprise
It is crucial to distinguish between two major stages for small and medium-sized businesses:
- 1 September 2026: Obligation to receive all your bills in electronic format. Your major suppliers (Orange, EDF, etc.) will no longer send PDFs by e-mail.
- 1 September 2027: Obligation toissue your own invoices in accordance with the new standards.
Even if 2027 seems a long way off, adopting the right data capture and transmission reflexes from 2026 onwards is the key to a stress-free transition.
2. Data capture: the end of approximation
Tomorrow, an invoice will no longer be a simple visual document, but a set of certified data.
What changes in your entry:
- The SIREN, the keystone: For all business customers, the SIREN number is now mandatory. Without it, no invoice can be sent.
- Data accuracy: You will need to specify the nature of the transaction (sale of goods, provision of services or mixed) as soon as you enter it.
- Automation by Azopio: On our platform, you enter your information to create your invoice via an intuitive interface, or alternatively, you can send us the data via our API. Azopio then translates this data into regulatory formats (such as Factur-X), which are invisible to you but essential for the authorities.
If you use a third-party billing tool that issues electronic invoices (Factur-X), you can submit them or send them to your dedicated email address(client.xxx@mail2.azopio.com) so that they can be forwarded.
3. Transmission: from email to secure stream
The most radical change concerns delivery. Sending an invoice by e-mail or post will no longer have any legal value for your business customers.
How do we send an invoice?
- Deposit on Azopio: either you issue it using our invoicing module, or you deposit/send your Factur-X(s) on your Azopio space,
- Conformity check: Azopio instantly checks that all the mandatory information is present. If any information is missing, you will be notified before the document is sent.
- Automatic routing: Thanks to our interoperability with other approved platforms, your customer can retrieve his invoice from his account via the AP that has selected it on receipt. It’s a closed, secure and ultra-fast circuit.
4. Follow-up: manage your invoices “live
The reform brings one major advantage: the end of “radio silence” after an invoice has been sent. Each document follows a precise life cycle:
- Submitted: the invoice has been sent via an Approved Platform (AP) and registered on the recipient’s platform. It is officially made available to the customer.
- Rejected: the customer has rejected the invoice for a business reason (error in amount, reference, contractual conditions, etc.). A new, corrected invoice must be issued.
- Collected: the invoice has been paid in full or in part. The status allows you to monitor cash flow and payment times.
- Rejected : the invoice has not been accepted for technical or non-conformity reasons (incorrect format, missing mandatory data, structural error). It must be corrected and re-submitted.
Result:
✔ better cash flow visibility
✔ fewer reminders
✔ fewer disputes
Why start in 2026?
Even if the obligation to transmit begins in 2027, using Azopio from 2026 for reception means :
- Familiarise yourself with statuses and the life cycle
- Clean up its customer database (SIREN, addresses, contacts)
- Gradually adapt its internal processes
1 September 2027 will then no longer be a break, but a continuity.
Azopio tip: prepare your show now
From 2026, ask yourself these questions:
- Does your software already issue in one of the authorised formats (Factur-X, UBL, CII)?
- Is it itself an AP or is it connected to an AP?
- If not, what is its roadmap?
At the same time, start to :
- Update your customer database (SIREN, legal addresses, accounting contacts)
- Standardise your internal references
- Formalise your validation circuits
It’s the best time investment you can make for a successful transition to electronic invoicing.
Reform timetable: When do you need to be ready?
| Company size | Obligation of RECEPTION | Obligation to ISSUE |
| Large companies | 1st September 2026 | 1st September 2026 |
| ETI (Intermediate-sized companies) | 1st September 2026 | 1st September 2026 |
| SMEs, VSEs and micro-businesses | 1st September 2026 | 1st September 2027 |
Key points: From 1 September 2026, all French businesses will have to have chosen a platform to receive invoices from their major suppliers. VSEs and SMEs will have a further year to bring their own invoicing into line, but the use of a single platform from 2026 will greatly simplify this transition.
Why is Azopio your ideal partner?
As an Authorised Platform, Azopio doesn’t just make you compliant: we turn this obligation into a genuine management tool.
Whether you’re an SME due to issue invoices in 2027 or a micro-business due to receive its first electronic invoices in 2026, our interface centralises everything. You gain visibility, secure your data and prepare for the future with complete peace of mind.
