Skip to main content
country

French Invoice Template (Facture) with the Mandatory Mentions

A free, editable facture layout for businesses established in France that still issue PDF or paper invoices: SMEs and micro-enterprises invoicing French businesses until 1 September 2027, and any business invoicing consumers or customers abroad. It has a field for each mention obligatoire listed by Service Public Entreprendre, including SIREN, legal form and capital, both VAT numbers, the sale date, unit prices excluding VAT, VAT rates, totals HT and TTC, early-payment and late-payment terms and the 40 € recovery fee, plus the four mentions phasing in with e-invoicing. The download is an HTML file you edit in your browser and print or save as PDF. It is not an electronic invoice: where e-invoicing applies to you, invoices must go through an approved platform (plateforme agréée).

Draft this invoice
Preview this editable document

Download the HTML file to edit its fields, then print or save as PDF. Totals are entered manually.

What This Template Includes

  • SIREN (9 digits), legal form and share capital (capital social)
  • Seller and buyer VAT numbers (numéro de TVA intracommunautaire)
  • Date of sale or service (date de la vente ou de la prestation)
  • Unit price excluding VAT (prix unitaire HT) and VAT rate for each line
  • Totals HT, TVA and TTC
  • Early-payment discount (escompte), or "Escompte pour paiement anticipé : néant"
  • Late-payment penalty rate and "Indemnité forfaitaire pour frais de recouvrement : 40 €"
  • Customer SIREN, delivery address and nature of operations (new mentions, 2026-2027)

How to Create Your French Invoice (Facture)

  1. 01

    Describe your work

    Type a plain English description of the services you provided, the client, and the amount.

  2. 02

    AI generates your invoice

    InvoiceQuickly's AI drafts the client, line items, dates, and totals for you to review before saving.

  3. 03

    Review, download, and send

    Check every detail, download the PDF, or use Pro to email the PDF directly to your client.

Recommended Payment Terms

Between businesses the default term is 30 days from receipt of the goods or completion of the service. You can agree on up to 60 days from the invoice date, or 45 days end of month if stated in the contract. The invoice must show the payment date, your early-payment discount terms (or "Escompte pour paiement anticipé : néant"), the late-penalty rate, which cannot be lower than three times the legal interest rate, and for business customers the 40 € fixed recovery fee, due once per invoice paid late.

Need help writing payment terms? Read our guide to invoice payment terms for best practices and templates.

Tax Information

Mainland France applies VAT (TVA) at 20% standard, 10% intermediate and 5.5% reduced, each for specific goods and services; Guadeloupe, Martinique and La Réunion have lower rates. Show the unit price excluding VAT and the VAT rate for each line, then totals HT and TTC. A business under the VAT franchise (turnover up to 37,500 € for services or 85,000 € for sales of goods in the previous year) charges no VAT and writes "TVA non applicable, art. 293 B du CGI". Reverse-charge invoices carry "Autoliquidation".

Industry context (2026)

As of October 2026, France is in the first phase of its e-invoicing reform. Since 1 September 2026 every business in scope must be able to receive electronic invoices through a plateforme agréée, and large companies and ETIs must issue them; SMEs, very small businesses and micro-enterprises follow on 1 September 2027 (DGFiP calendar and start-up guide, July 2026). An electronic invoice carries 34 mandatory data items in a structured format, so a PDF sent by email does not count. About 150 platforms had been approved by 1 August 2026, and the administration has said it will not sanction businesses that meet start-up difficulties but are working towards compliance.

Worked example

Atelier Lumière SARL, a Lyon web agency and a PME, invoices a Paris retailer on 27 October 2026: website redesign 1 x 4 000,00 € HT and monthly maintenance 3 x 150,00 € = 450,00 € HT. Total HT 4 450,00 €, TVA at 20% 890,00 €, total TTC 5 340,00 €. The facture shows number 2026-0412, the service completion date (24 October 2026), the agency's name, capital (10 000 €), registered office, SIREN and VAT number, the retailer's name, address and VAT number, payment due 26 November 2026, "Escompte pour paiement anticipé : néant", the penalty rate and the 40 € recovery fee. As a PME it may still send this as a PDF until 1 September 2027; after that date the same invoice must go through its approved platform with the client's SIREN and the nature of the operation (services) added.

Common mistakes to avoid

Leaving out the 40 € recovery fee

The fixed recovery fee must appear on invoices to business customers and in your terms of sale. It is a mandatory mention, not an optional extra.

No early-payment line

If you offer no discount for early payment, the invoice still has to say so: "Escompte pour paiement anticipé : néant".

Missing SIREN or legal details

A company invoice needs its SIREN, legal form, share capital and registered office address. A sole trader needs the SIREN and the words "Entrepreneur individuel" or "EI".

Assuming a PDF works for every customer from 2027

From 1 September 2027 every business in scope, including micro-enterprises, must issue invoices to French business customers electronically through an approved platform. This layout remains usable for consumer and foreign customers.

Invoicing Tips

  • 1Number invoices in one chronological, continuous sequence with no gaps.
  • 2Put the SIREN, legal form and share capital in the header, not only on your website or contract.
  • 3Leave the buyer's VAT number blank only when the total excluding VAT is 150 € or less.
  • 4Write the escompte, penalty and 40 € mentions on every business invoice, even if you never intend to charge them.
  • 5If you are a PME or micro-enterprise, plan your move to an approved platform before 1 September 2027; this layout will not meet the issuing obligation after that date for French business customers.

Related Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the mandatory mentions on a French invoice?

Issue date, unique sequential number, date of sale or service, the seller's identity with SIREN (plus legal form and capital for a company), the buyer's identity, both VAT numbers above 150 € excluding VAT, each item with quantity, unit price excluding VAT and VAT rate, totals HT and TTC, the payment date, early-payment terms, the late-penalty rate and, for business customers, the 40 € recovery fee.

Can I use this template after e-invoicing starts?

Only where a PDF is still allowed. All businesses in scope must receive e-invoices since 1 September 2026; large companies and ETIs must issue them now, and SMEs and micro-enterprises from 1 September 2027. Invoices to consumers and to businesses abroad can still be PDF or paper.

What are the four new mentions?

The customer's SIREN, the delivery address if different from the customer's address, the nature of the operations (goods, services or both), and "Option pour le paiement de la taxe d'après les débits" if you chose that VAT option. They apply on the same dates as the e-invoicing issuing obligation.

What format is the download?

An HTML file. Open it in a browser, click into the bracketed fields to edit them, then print or save it as a PDF. Totals are not calculated for you. It is not a structured e-invoice.

Can InvoiceQuickly create French invoices?

It creates English PDF invoices in euros with one VAT rate per invoice. SIREN and VAT numbers is copied to new invoice PDFs; check the saved IDs and PDF before sending along with the payment mentions. It does not connect to approved platforms, so it cannot issue French e-invoices.