Why acting now matters
From September 1st, 2026, all VAT-registered businesses in France must receive e-invoices through a government-approved platform. If your company has not registered a receiving platform by then, in-scope e-invoices may not arrive correctly — and your ability to claim VAT deductibility on affected purchases could be at risk.
Before your registration — 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 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.
Where to go : Settings → 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. Set your preferred activation date. Please note that choosing a date before the 1st of September 2026 means you may receive e-invoices as part of our pilot phase.
5. 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.
SIREN not listed in the national directory
Why am I seeing this error message?
When you try to register to receive your e-invoices, you may see the following message:
"Your SIREN is not currently listed in the national e-invoicing directory. You may either be exempt from e-invoicing, or your SIREN may not yet have been added by the DGFiP. The registration option will become available once the directory is updated."
This message can correspond to two situations:
Your company is not subject to VAT, and is therefore not subject to e-invoicing requirements.
Your SIREN has not yet been loaded by the tax authorities into the national directory. Some discrepancies between VAT-registered companies and the directory's content may still exist after the September 1st deadline; affected companies will not be sanctioned for this delay.
If you're unsure which situation applies to you, we recommend reaching out to your accountant or your SIE (Service des Impôts des Entreprises). They can confirm whether your company is subject to VAT and e-invoicing, and let you know when your registration should appear in the directory.