Regulations that govern electronic invoices.

What is an invoice ?

The invoice is an official document that is at the crossroads of several regulations, which sometimes leaves room for several interpretations that can contradict each other.

In this article, we will focus on the generalities that govern electronic invoicing.

Although each country remains sovereign in the writing of tax regulations, it is the European directives (2010/45/EU and 2014/55/EU) that inspire the French General Tax Code and the Commercial Code , especially at the level of electronic invoicing.

Invoices serve several purposes. It is a legal proof of the service rendered, or of the goods sold, and establishes the seller’s right to claim payment. It is an obligation to invoice any professional activity.

It also holds the details of the sale and serves as accounting evidence for the preparation of the annual accounts.

Contains information on the VAT applicable and of any deductions made.

And of course, it allows the tax administration to exercise its right of verification.

Et évidemment, elle permet à l’administration fiscale d’exercer son droit de vérification.

The authenticity of the origin, the integrity of the content and the legibility of the invoice

An important sentence in Article 289 of the CGI says:

“The authenticity of the origin, the integrity of the content and the legibility of the invoice must be ensured from the moment it is issued until the end of its retention period.»

“Authenticity of origin” means that it is up to the supplier AND the customer to verify the identity of the issuer.

The supplier has either :

• Issued the invoice himself
• The invoice was issued by a trusted third party (EDI service provider, accountant, etc.) .

 “Integrity of the content” means that the entirety, mandatory or not, of the original invoice must not have been modified.

“Legibility of the invoice” means that it can be read without difficulty by the user and by the administration, on paper or on screen.

The retention period varies according to certain specific cases, but is generally  10 years.

La période de conservation varie selon certain cas spécifique, mais est généralement de 10ans.

• Date of issue of the invoice
• Invoice numbering
• Date of sale or provision of services
• Identity of the buyer
• Identity of the seller or service provider
• Purchase Order Number
• Individual VAT identification number of the seller and the professional customer
• Description of the product or service
• Detailed breakdown of each service and product provided