Why acting now matters
The September 2026 deadline is fixed. When it arrives, certified suppliers will begin sending structured e-invoices through the government PA network. If your company has not registered a receiving platform by then, those invoices may not arrive correctly — and your ability to claim VAT deductibility on affected purchases could be at risk.
There is also a practical reason to start early: communicating your new electronic address(es) to all your suppliers takes time. The earlier you complete your registration, the more time your suppliers have to update their own routing settings before the mandate comes into force.
Before you start — what you will need
Before starting the registration process in Spendesk, make sure the following are in order:
Account Owner access — only an Account Owner can activate e-invoicing in Spendesk.
Correct company details — your SIREN number and company name must be accurate in Spendesk before you can register. If anything is incorrect, update it with your legal or finance team before starting.
An understanding of your invoice types — knowing whether you receive supplier invoices, expense report invoices, or both (and from which legal entities) will help you define your electronic address structure in Step 3.
How to activate e-invoicing in Spendesk - Step by Step
Step 1 — Confirm your obligations
Who does this: Account Owner or Finance Manager
Before registering, confirm that your company is in scope for the mandate. You are affected if your company is subject to VAT in France and conducts domestic B2B transactions.
Key questions to answer:
Is your company registered for VAT in France?
Do you receive invoices from other French VAT-registered businesses?
Do you have multiple legal entities in France that each need their own configuration?
💡 If you are unsure whether your business is in scope, consult your expert-comptable or refer to official DGFiP guidance here.
Step 2 — Verify your company details
Your SIREN number is the foundation of your electronic invoicing address. Ensure you have the following details on hand:
Legal company name
SIREN number
Registered address
If you have multiple legal entities, each will require its own SIREN-based configuration. Make a note of each entity's SIREN at this stage.
Step 3 — Decide on your electronic address structure
Your electronic invoicing address is the identifier your suppliers will use to route structured e-invoices to you via the PA network. You will define this during registration, and Spendesk will register it in the PPF national directory on your behalf.
Important decisions to make at this stage:
Do you want one address for all invoice types, or separate addresses by invoice type (e.g. supplier invoices vs. expense reports)?
If you have multiple legal entities under one Spendesk account, how will you distinguish them?
ℹ️ You can create multiple electronic addresses — there is no restriction on the number. We recommend mapping this to your existing invoice categorisation to keep routing straightforward for your suppliers.
For a full guide to address formats and multi-entity configuration, see [Understanding your electronic address and how to use it →]
Step 4 — Register Spendesk as your PA
Note: Only your account owner will be able to complete this step.
Once you have your company details and you have decided on your electronic address structure, you will be ready to activate e-invoicing in Spendesk. We’ll be in touch with you the moment you can do this.
Where to go : Company Rules → E-invoicing → Activate E-invoicing
The activation flow:
Complete the registration form with your personal information and role.
2. Select the entities you would like to register.
3. Choose whether you will only collect e-invoices through Spendesk, or with other tools as well.
4. Review and edit your electronic addresses for each of your entities if you’d like.
Note: For further guidance you can also check out [link - Understanding your electronic address and how to use it].
5. Sign the Formal Agreement (Convention de mandat) via Dropbox Sign — this authorises Spendesk to act as your PA and register your address(es) in the PPF directory on your behalf
6. You will then receive confirmation that you have successfully registered Spendesk as your PA.
⚠️ Activation date: If you choose an activation date before 1 September 2026, you are opting in to the pilot phase. The pilot uses real invoices — not test data — but all data will be deleted from tax records on 1 September 2026.
Step 5 — Communicate your electronic address(es) to suppliers
This is the most operationally critical step — and the one most often left too late. Once your electronic address(es) are registered, your suppliers need to update their own PA routing settings to send invoices to your new address. This does not happen automatically.
What to communicate to each supplier:
Your SIREN-based electronic address (e.g.
123456789or123456789_EXPENSEREPORTS)The fact that they must route future invoices via their own certified PA using this address
That standard PDF invoices sent by email will no longer be compliant once the mandate is active
Tips for doing this efficiently:
Prioritise your highest-volume suppliers first
Include the electronic address in your standard purchase order or payment terms template
For expense-related suppliers (hotels, travel agencies), brief your employees to provide the correct address at the point of purchase — see Step 6
Step 6 — Brief your employees and approvers
E-invoicing affects more than just the AP team. Employees who submit expense reports and use company cards also need to understand what changes and what they need to do.
What to communicate to employees:
When making purchases from domestic B2B suppliers, provide your company's electronic invoicing address so the supplier can route the invoice correctly
For expense report purposes: the invoice must be put in the company name (e.g. a hotel stay billed to the company), the invoice should arrive via the PA network — not as a PDF by email
The Spendesk approval workflow itself is unchanged — approvers continue to work in the same place, with invoices arriving pre-filled
What changes for approvers:
In-scope invoices will arrive in Spendesk pre-filled with structured data — no manual data entry required
Approving, refusing, or querying an invoice in Spendesk automatically triggers the correct lifecycle status back to the supplier and the PPF — no additional action needed
A visual indicator will identify invoices received via the e-invoicing network