On July 28, the government announced in a press release that the implementation of the generalized use of the invoice was postponed. Following a meeting of the DGFIP, the new implementation dates are now known:

📆 Sept. 1, 2026: obligation to receive electronic invoices for all companies and obligation to issue them for large and mid-sized companies.

📆 Sept. 1, 2027: obligation to issue electronic invoices for small and medium-sized businesses and microenterprises.

This announcement is obviously not without consequences, particularly for companies that had already begun work on compliance and adaptation of their internal processes, those that had embarked on pilot phases with their future service providers, and platform providers and publishers.

With a few weeks' hindsight, we'd like to share a few thoughts with you on how to deal with this postponement in your companies, and how to take advantage of the extra time it brings.

1 - Don't break the momentum you've created in your organizations

Many companies of all sizes had already taken the "bull by the horns" to prepare for the transition to mandatory invoice mandatory electronic invoicing. Not all were ready, some were about to enter the pilot phases, while others were already behind schedule, but in all cases the project had been launched. We believe it is essential that these organizations complete these projects.

Indeed, to pause deployment now and disengage the multiple teams involved is to face a difficult and slow restart with out-of-sync or unavailable project teams.

Despite the announcement of the postponement, the French government nonetheless publishedthe new external specifications on July 31, continuing to specify the application framework and specific use cases. This new version will enable us, as organizations, future PDPs or service providers, to continue preparing for the transition to invoice to electronic data interchange.

Last but not least, getting a head start will give business teams more time to get to grips with the new processes or tools being deployed, so it's never too early.

2 - Move from compliance to Digitalization invoice processing.

With the implementation date of the reform approaching, the objective of our audits and project support was clearly to ensure compliance with future legal obligations. The extra time we now have will also enable us to pursue a broader objective: digitalize and automate your customer and supplier invoice processing processes, while ensuring that they comply with the reform.

This broader approach promises a bigger and faster ROI on the investments that the reform requires anyway.

3 - In Europe, and internationally, electronic invoice becomes mandatory

Although reform in France has been postponed, many countries are now moving, one after the other, towards electronic invoice electronic commerce. Depending on your business and your international presence, your company may also be affected by other legislation.

Even if the obligations, technical specifications and processes differ from the French framework, they still have an impact on the choice of your tools, your platform and the organization of your business teams.

In this case, it's essential to adopt a global approach to your invoicing processes, and to align your project with the calendars of the countries concerned.

4 - Get ahead of the game, launch the essential audit

If you haven't already taken steps to prepare for the transition, this postponement is obviously a godsend. Take advantage of the opportunity to launch an audit of your processes as soon as possible, in order to identify not only your specificities in the face of the reform, but also the opportunities for optimizing your practices.

This extra time should enable latecomers to start the process with peace of mind, and to be perfectly ready on D-Day.

How does ICD International view the postponement of the reform?

Since the switchover to Chorus Pro, ICD International has been working with the DGFIP and FNFE to support the implementation of this reform. We are obviously continuing our commitment in this direction.

In order to meet the government's requirements for becoming a PDP, ICD International has obtained ISO 27001 certification, has committed 3 of its customers to the pilot phases, and submitted its application for PDP registration at the beginning of August.

We are continuing to support and audit our customers, and together we are readjusting deployment strategies to take account of this postponement and turn it into an opportunity.

Our mission remains the same as it has been for over 30 years: to help companies become more competitive through the Digitalization of their business processes.