France PA e-invoicing

What is this page about: How to register a French entity to receive e-invoices, what the registration asks for, and what this network does not yet do. This article covers what is specific to France PA. The wizard, registration statuses and EDIFACT codes are the same everywhere and are explained in E-invoicing in Light.

# On this page

• At a glance
• What is the France PA network?
• Getting registered
• What you need before you start
• What you will be asked to sign
• Your address on the network
• Limits
• Frequently asked questions
• Related articles

Registering does not yet let you send. Registering a French entity on this network sets it up to receive e-invoices. It does not yet let you send them, and attempting to issue an e-invoice on this network will fail. If your reason for registering is to start issuing French e-invoices, this is not ready yet, so talk to us about timing. If your reason is to be able to receive them, read on.

# At a glance

# What is the France PA network?

France is moving to mandatory electronic invoicing, built around a public infrastructure through which invoices are routed and reported. Businesses connect through a registered platform, and Light connects on your behalf through its e-invoicing provider.

Addressing works over Peppol infrastructure, so French companies are identified by their SIREN under scheme 0225.

# Getting registered

1. Check the prerequisites below. France PA asks for more than any other network, and the wizard will stop you if anything is missing
2. Open the entity, and in the E-invoicing section click + Add
3. Choose France PA. Sending only is not offered as an option for this network, since it does not support sending
4. Enter the contact email and the details of the person who will sign
5. The wizard gives you a link. Open it, and it takes you to our provider's page, where your representative signs an invoicing mandate (mandat de facturation) authorising Light to act for your company
6. Once signed, the registration completes and Light fills in your e-invoice address

# What you need before you start

Every network needs the entity's country and VAT number. France PA needs all of the following as well, and each is checked before the registration is created.

Business registration number (entity) isn't required to register, but if you do fill it in, it must match the SIREN inside your VAT number. See below.

# Two checks that reject on entry

The VAT number's control key is verified. A French TVA number is FR, a two-character control key, then the nine-digit SIREN. Where the key is numeric it is derived arithmetically from the SIREN, and Light verifies the arithmetic, so a typo in either part fails immediately. Some French VAT numbers have a letter in the key, and those are not checked this way.

If you provide a business registration number, it has to equal the SIREN inside your VAT number. This field is optional, but if you fill it in, it's checked against the entity's VAT number and the two have to agree. If the entity's business registration number is a SIRET (14 digits, the SIREN plus a five-digit establishment code), the registration is refused. Use the nine-digit SIREN.

The signing representative's details are used only to produce the mandate and are not kept in Light afterwards. If you need to correct them, run the wizard again. Re-running a France PA registration that is waiting on signature replaces the details rather than being ignored.

# What you will be asked to sign

A mandat de facturation, an invoicing mandate authorising Light's e-invoicing provider to act for your company on the network. It is signed on the provider's page, not in Light, and Light never holds a copy of the signer's identity document.

# Your address on the network

When registration completes, your entity gets an e-invoice address: your SIREN, under scheme 0225. It appears read-only in the entity's E-invoicing section.

This is the address other businesses use to send you invoices.

# Limits

• Sending is not implemented. This is the headline limitation, and registration enables receiving only.
• Sending only is not offered as a registration type, since sending is not supported at all.
• The business registration number is optional, but if provided it must be the SIREN, not the SIRET.
• Received invoices reaching Light as bills depends on the same inbound handling as other networks, so confirm with us what to expect for your entity before you rely on it.

# Frequently asked questions

Can I send French e-invoices through Light?

Not through this network yet. Registration sets you up to receive.

Why can I not choose Sending only?

Because sending is not supported, that option isn't shown for France PA at all. The registration type selector only appears for networks where it applies.

My VAT number was rejected but it is correct.

Check it character by character. Light verifies the control key against the SIREN arithmetically, so a single wrong digit fails. If you've filled in the entity's business registration number, also check it's the nine-digit SIREN and matches the SIREN inside the VAT number.

I entered my SIRET as the business registration number.

Use the SIREN instead, which is the first nine digits.

Who should sign the mandate?

Someone empowered to bind the company. Their role is recorded as part of the mandate.

I made a mistake in the signer's details.

Run the wizard again for the same network. A France PA registration waiting on signature is replaced rather than ignored, so the corrected details take effect.

Is this Chorus Pro?

Chorus Pro is the French public-sector invoicing portal. This network is the broader French e-invoicing infrastructure. If you specifically need Chorus Pro for public-sector invoicing, talk to us about what your customers require.

# Related articles

• E-invoicing in Light
• Peppol e-invoicing
• Managing Entities