What is an e-invoicing electronic address?
As part of the French e-invoicing reform, an electronic address is the unique identifier that allows your organisation to be located in the PPF Directory (Portail Public de Facturation). This is how your suppliers know where to send their e-invoices to your company.
📐 Available formats
To simplify your onboarding, Spendesk offers 3 electronic address formats, all derived from the two main formats defined by the regulation: SIREN and SIREN_SUFFIX.
The format suggested to you will depend on your setup: whether you have multiple entities and/or multiple certified platforms (PAs), one of the 3 formats below will be recommended:
Format | Example | When to use it |
SIREN |
| One address for the whole entity. All invoices come to the same place. |
SIREN_ENTITYNAME |
| Multi-entity orgs: target a specific establishment. The suffix is fully customizable - you can replace it with any other name or SIRET. |
SIREN_ENTITYNAME_CUSTOM |
| Route different invoice types to different PAs. |
📬 How to choose your address?
Start by mapping your incoming invoice flows, based on the three addressing formats presented above.
Choose your receiving electronic address with one (or more) receiving PAs, on Spendesk, depending on your use cases:
Cards + Expense Reports + Invoices & Single establishment >> Spendesk can be your sole PA for all flows, and your address can simply be your SIREN, e.g.
123456789Cards + Expense Reports + Invoices & Multiple establishments >> Spendesk can be your sole PA for all flows, and we recommend having one address per establishment, e.g. your SIREN_ENTITYNAME or SIREN_SIRET:
123456789_12345678900012Cards or Expense Reports only & Single establishment >> Spendesk can be one of your PAs, and your address your SIREN_Usage, e.g.
123456789_EXPENSEREPORTSor123456789_Spendesk→ (for all expense claims)
🔀 Can I switch my electronic address to another platform?
⚠️ Important: The same electronic address can only be associated with one Certified Platform (PA) at a time.
If the address you want to use in Spendesk is already registered with another PA:
1. Complete the normal E-invoicing onboarding flow in Spendesk.
2. Declare the electronic address that is currently active with the other PA.
3. Sign the formal agreement via Dropbox Sign. This allows Spendesk to request the mobility of the address.
4. Spendesk contacts the current PA to request the migration. The PA or your accountant may contact you to confirm that you want to switch to Spendesk.
5. Wait for the migration to complete. This process can take a few days.
💡 You normally do not need to take any action while the mobility request is being processed, unless the current PA asks you to confirm the change.
⚠️ If the same electronic address is already active in Spendesk and another PA has registered it, ask the other PA to close its line. Do not create a duplicate electronic address.
🏗️ Who creates these addresses?
It is Spendesk (as your receiving PA) that automatically creates and registers your addresses in the PPF Directory, after a Formal Agreement (mandate) has been signed. You have no steps to complete on the PPF portal.
📡 How do your suppliers find your address?
The PPF Directory can be queried by suppliers through their issuing PA. They search for your SIREN and find your active addresses. However, it is strongly recommended to proactively communicate your address to your regular suppliers.
💡 Tip: We recommend proactively informing both your suppliers and your employees of your electronic address(es).
🔒 Is the system secure?
Yes, the PPF Directory is a closed and controlled network (comparable to a banking network) — not an open system like email. Authentication via PISTE is required to look up addresses. Only certified PAs have access to the directory.