Electronic invoicing in France: From Chorus Pro to PPF

The portal for electronic invoicing in France called Chorus Pro emerged because of the European Union's requirements to promote business digitization in order to ensure efficiency, transparency, and agility in commercial transactions. The Agence pour l'informatique financière de l'Etat (AIFE) created Chorus Pro, an electronic platform developed in France to streamline contracting procedures with the public administration. Electronic invoices sent through Chorus Pro can be processed in an agile and transparent manner for all public sector suppliers. These same principles are the ones that have inspired the development of the mandatory electronic invoicing system, and upon which the evolution of the current Chorus Pro will be based, which will be renamed Portail Public de Facturation or PPF.

What is Chorus Pro?

Chorus Pro is the portal in France for centralizing the submission of electronic invoices to the French public administration. It is a centralized platform that facilitates the exchange of electronic invoices between companies and public organizations with the aim of simplifying and expediting administrative processes.

The platform allows the reception of invoices in structured and standardized formats such as UBL, CII, and Factur-X, ensuring interoperability with other companies and organizations at both the national and European levels. On the other hand, public organizations use Chorus Pro to receive, process, and electronically archive invoices.

Additionally, Chorus Pro complies with the required security and confidentiality standards for the exchange of sensitive information. The platform is regularly updated to ensure compliance with legal and fiscal regulations regarding electronic invoicing.

Chorus Pro will become a new B2B2G portal, which will be called Portail Public de Facturation (PPF). The new portal will manage all flows of electronic invoicing directed to the public administration and any company, as well as e-Reporting, whether companies use a dematerialization platform (PDP) or transmit directly through the PPF.

White Paper on e-Invoicing in France

Gain a comprehensive understanding of the characteristics of the e-Invoicing and e-Reporting system in France through our White Paper. By downloading the White Paper, we will save your contact details to keep you informed about the latest updates of the e-invoicing project in France.
 

Chorus Pro, the foundation that enables the expansion of electronic invoicing to all businesses

Chorus Pro is a consolidated infrastructure that enables essential components for extending electronic invoicing to 100% of businesses. The characteristics that have made it an integral and efficient tool for managing electronic invoices directed to public organizations serve as the basis for the deployment of the electronic invoicing model between businesses, which will transform the current portal into the PPF (Public Invoicing Portal):

• Invoice centralization: A central point for the exchange and management of all electronic invoices in France. It allows businesses to securely send and receive invoices through a single platform.
• Process automation: Offers the ability to automate processes related to electronic invoicing. This includes the automatic generation and sending of invoices, as well as automated validation and tracking of fiscal documents.
• Direct communication: A direct communication channel between invoice issuers and recipients.
• Validation and verification: The portal performs automatic validations of electronic invoices to ensure their integrity and regulatory compliance. This helps to avoid errors and ensures that documents meet current legal and fiscal requirements.
• Security and confidentiality: The portal guarantees the security and confidentiality of exchanged data and documents. It employs robust security measures and complies with established data protection standards.
• Integration with internal systems: The PPF will inherit the integration capabilities of Chorus Pro with companies' internal systems, thanks to the API methods released by the portal and the communication systems defined to integrate future PDPs.

How to integrate with Chorus Pro or PPF?

Connectivity to PPF will inherit the current methods used to connect to Chorus Pro.

It is necessary to follow a process of technical integration using the standards established by the platform, which can be implemented through two possible methods by those invoice issuers and recipients who decide to automate these processes:

• EDI: Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) allows companies to connect to Chorus Pro in an automated and standardized way. Presumably, this will be the method that many PDPs will choose to integrate with the PPF for those companies that decide to hire their services to manage the issuance and reception of electronic invoices.
• API: The Chorus Pro Application Programming Interface (API) allows for direct integration with the platform, using defined calls to deliver invoices. This API will evolve to enable new methods for invoking all the required calls according to the new mandatory electronic invoicing model between businesses. The use of the API will remain valid for the future PPF, just as it is now for integration with Chorus Pro.

An important aspect when establishing a connection with Chorus Pro is having the appropriate credentials, such as a digital certificate recognized by the platform, to ensure the authenticity and security of transactions. Once the connection is configured, businesses can send and receive electronic invoices and other administrative documents in an automated and secure manner, leveraging the benefits of the Chorus Pro platform for efficient management of their operations.

Users can choose to implement a specific software solution or use third-party solutions certified by Chorus Pro, such as EDICOM. Similarly, when Chorus Pro evolves into PPF, they can opt to hire services from equally accredited third parties to communicate invoices with the portal.

These third parties are known as PDPs (Plateforme Dématérialisation Partenaire), or entities accredited by DGFiP to manage the flows of electronic invoice issuance and reception, as defined in this article.

Do you currently send invoices to the French public administration via Chorus Pro?

Integration methods with Chorus Pro will have to evolve to meet the requirements of the new mandatory electronic invoicing system in France. 

Contact us via this form and we will analyze your situation and provide you with a technical assessment without obligation.

Legal framework of the Chorus Pro public electronic invoicing portal

In the legal context, the adoption of Chorus Pro is based on the European Directive 2014/55/EU, which establishes that all electronic invoices must comply with a structured and standard format to ensure interoperability at the European level. In this regard, Chorus Pro has implemented internationally recognized electronic invoicing formats such as UBL, CII, and Factur-X to ensure compliance with this directive and facilitate the exchange of invoices with other countries.

Additionally, specific regulations were established in France to promote the use of Chorus Pro. The Law on Modernization of the Economy (LME) mandated the use of electronic invoicing through Chorus Pro for transactions with public organizations. These laws have fostered the adoption of Chorus Pro as the central platform for electronic invoicing in the public sector.

Furthermore, the Agency for the Informatization of Public Finances (AIFE) and the Directorate General of Public Finances (DGFiP) are the responsible bodies for the management and supervision of Chorus Pro in France. These organizations work closely together to ensure the security, confidentiality, and interoperability of the platform, as well as to provide guidance and technical support to users.

It is important to note that Chorus Pro is kept up to date according to regulatory developments and legal requirements. The platform continuously adapts to changes in legislation and regulations related to electronic invoicing, ensuring that users comply with legal obligations and streamline their administrative processes efficiently and securely, although in the future this portal will be replaced by the new public portal called PPF.

PPF: The new Public Invoicing Portal

The Public Invoicing Portal (PPF) will play a crucial role as the central hub of the Directorate General of Public Finances (DGFiP) in France, centralizing all electronic invoices exchanged in the country. This portal is based on the previously established infrastructure in France for managing electronic invoices sent to the public administration through the renowned Chorus Pro portal.

It is important to highlight that electronic invoicing in France now encompasses 100% of transactions between businesses in the country, regardless of whether the recipient is a public organization or not. To this end, the Chorus Pro portal has been enhanced with new functionalities that expand its capacity, allowing this tool to be available to 100% of invoice issuers in France.

Automatic transmission methods of invoices to the PPF, such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Application Programming Interface (API), only support the sending of invoices in one of the three accepted formats: UBL, CII, and Factur-X.

Taxpayers wishing to send their invoices directly through the PPF can only use one of the three authorized formats: Factur-X, UBL, or CII. Once invoices are manually submitted to the portal or through integration methods, the PPF will identify the recipient and perform minimum validations before sending the invoice.

EDICOM Compliance, the comprehensive solution for electronic invoicing

EDICOM Compliance is the tool for organizations seeking to optimize their operations in the electronic invoicing environment in France or any other country worldwide. This comprehensive solution offers a wide range of functionalities, including electronic invoice generation and reception, digital signature management, data validation, shipment tracking, and rejection and notification management.

One of the main advantages of EDICOM Compliance is its ability to adapt to the specific needs of each company. Thanks to its flexibility and configurability, it allows for the establishment of custom rules and workflows, ensuring seamless integration with organizations' internal billing and accounting systems.

Furthermore, it stands out for its robust security system and regulatory compliance. It complies with all regulations and standards established by international tax authorities, ensuring the authenticity, integrity, and confidentiality of sensitive data. Moreover, its ability to store and archive electronic documents during the designated legal periods provides a solid foundation for auditing and regulatory compliance.