Ahead of the September 2026 deadline for mandatory B2B e-invoicing, France is poised to join 20 other national leaders adopting the Peppol standard. France intends to apply for national authority status within Peppol, tasked with supporting and promoting these standards and the network. Each national authority is appointed by the non-profit organization OpenPeppol and oversees the development, implementation, and maintenance of Peppol specifications (Pan-European Public Procurement On-Line).

This move by France represents a promising step in preparing for the compulsory implementation of B2B e-invoicing in 2026.

Peppol serves as a network for sending e-invoices and other electronic business documents. Users utilize Peppol Access Points to send standard e-invoices (and other documents) to fellow network members. Businesses have the option to establish their own access points or engage specialized agents for these services.

National Peppol authorities ensure that technical standards and service specifications for users and access points are adhered to within their respective countries. Typically overseen by tax authorities, these authorities can also include other non-profit entities such as Denmark’s Business Authority or the UK’s National Health Service.

Initially launched within the EU, Peppol has expanded to encompass 40 countries worldwide. Since 2020, all public sector institutions and authorities in the EU have been legally mandated to accept Peppol-standard invoices.

E-invoicing report