How to check an e-invoice
- Drop the file in the area above. In a Factur-X PDF, the tool looks for the XML hidden inside, while a UBL or CII XML file is read as it is.
- Go over the key fields. The seller, the amounts, the due date and the IBAN should match what you ordered, the quote or the purchase order.
- Read the verdict at the top of the result, which says how many fields are missing and which ones. The checklist then marks each of the seven lines “present” or “missing”.
- Go over the other mentions on the invoice shown in plain view, under the checklist. The table of mandatory mentions, further down, lists the ones the tool doesn’t look at.
The seven fields the tool checks
They come from the European standard EN 16931, which the Factur-X, UBL and CII formats follow. Each piece of data in the standard has a reference, such as BT-1, that you’ll find in the error messages of platforms and invoicing software. To see how these fields are stored in a file, read our glossary entry on Factur-X, UBL and CII.
| Field | Reference | What to look at when you read it |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice number | BT-1 | You haven’t received it already, or it’s a duplicate |
| Issue date | BT-2 | It matches the period invoiced |
| Seller | BT-27 | It’s the company you actually dealt with |
| Total excl. VAT | BT-109 | It matches the quote or the purchase order |
| Total VAT | BT-110 | The rate applied is the right one for what you’re buying |
| Total incl. VAT | BT-112 | It’s what you’re going to pay, less any deposit |
| Currency | BT-5 | Almost always EUR between French businesses |
“Present” means the field exists in the XML. The tool doesn’t check that the totals add up, that the VAT rate is right or that the number follows the supplier’s sequence. Amounts and dates are shown in English style, such as €450.00 and Oct 5, 2026, while the file writes the amount 450.00.
What to do about a missing field
In the example at the top, the invoice comes from Camille Martin, an illustrator working as a French micro-entrepreneur (a simplified sole-trader status) under the VAT exemption threshold, called the franchise en base. She doesn’t charge VAT, and her software wrote no VAT total in the XML, hence the missing line. The European standard allows this total to be left out, so the invoice isn’t wrong for all that. Just check that the mention “TVA non applicable, art. 293 B du CGI” (VAT not applicable, article 293 B of the French tax code) appears on the PDF part.
On an invoice that does charge VAT, the same signal is worth a question to the supplier. A missing number, issue date or total including VAT is a real anomaly. Don’t fix the file yourself. Ask for a corrective invoice that refers to the first one, or a credit note followed by a new invoice.
If the invoice came through your accredited platform, you can also refuse it from your account there. The “refused” status notifies the supplier through the official network. Our page on receiving e-invoices explains each status.
The mandatory mentions of an e-invoice
An e-invoice carries the same mentions as a traditional French invoice, and the reform adds four, at the bottom of the table. For each mention, the right-hand column says what the tool does. Anything marked “not read” is yours to check, on the PDF part or with the supplier.
| Mention | In the tool |
|---|---|
| The usual mentions | |
| A unique number, taken from a continuous sequence | Presence checkedThe sequence isn’t checked |
| The issue date | Presence checked |
| The name and address of the seller and of the customer | Seller’s name checkedThe customer’s name is shown, addresses aren’t read |
| The seller’s SIREN or SIRET number (the French company and establishment numbers) | Shown |
| The EU VAT number, when the business has one | Not read |
| The date of the sale or service, if it differs from the issue date | Not read |
| For each line, the description, the quantity and the unit price excluding VAT | ShownIn the invoice in plain view |
| The VAT rate and amount, the totals excluding and including VAT | Totals checkedVAT by rate is shown |
| The due date and the payment terms | Shown |
| The purchase order number, when the buyer issued one | Not read |
| Between businesses, the late-payment interest rate, the fixed €40 recovery fee and the terms of any early-payment discount | Not read |
| The mentions specific to your situation, such as “TVA non applicable, art. 293 B du CGI” or “Autoliquidation” (reverse charge) | Not read |
| The four mentions added by the reform | |
| The customer’s SIREN number | Not read |
| The delivery address of the goods, if it differs from the customer’s address | Not read |
| The nature of the transactions: goods, services or both | Not read |
| The mention “Option pour le paiement de la taxe d’après les débits” (VAT paid on invoicing rather than on payment), where it applies | Not read |
Our guide to e-invoicing in France covers these four new mentions and what they ask you to prepare, starting with your customers’ SIREN numbers. To check one, use the SIREN and VAT number checker.
What the accredited platform checks
In the official French network, an e-invoice goes through the supplier’s accredited platform, then through yours. The platforms check its format and its mandatory data before passing it on. An invoice that fails these checks is rejected, and the supplier has to issue a new one.
Yet a compliant invoice can still be wrong in substance. The amount may not match the quote, or the service may never have been delivered. No platform knows that for you, and that’s what reading the key fields helps you spot.
Invoices that still arrive by email have often been checked by no one. During the start-up phase, the French tax authority asks businesses not to reject them for that reason alone when the transaction is real. They are the ones most worth running through this tool.
Frequently asked questions
Does this tool validate my e-invoice?
No. It checks that seven fields are present in the XML and shows the rest in plain view. A full validation applies the rules of the EN 16931 standard and the checks of the accredited platforms, which go well beyond whether a field is there.
A field is marked missing but I can see it on the PDF
In a Factur-X, the PDF and the XML are two separate parts, and the tool only reads the XML. It looks for each field in a precise place. If the information isn’t there, or if the supplier’s software stored it elsewhere, it shows as missing. Tell the supplier, since the XML is what accounting software and platforms read.
Does the tool check my customer’s SIREN and the new mentions?
No. The customer’s SIREN, the delivery address, the nature of the transactions and the option to pay VAT on invoicing aren’t read. Check them on the PDF part of the invoice. The e-invoicing guide explains them.
Can I check an invoice I issue myself?
Yes. Drop the file your invoicing software produced before you send it, to see whether the seven fields are there. For full compliance, rely on the checks of your accredited platform.
Is an invoice received by email still valid?
During the start-up phase, yes, if the transaction is real. The practical guide of the DGFiP (the French tax authority) asks businesses not to reject an invoice for the sole reason that it didn’t go through the electronic network. It can still be paid and its VAT deducted. Then remind the supplier to use their accredited platform.
Are my files sent anywhere?
No. The invoice is read in your browser, nothing goes through a server and nothing is kept. When you close the tab, nothing is left.
Do I need an account?
No. You open the page and drop your file, with no account or email address.
Official sources (in French), checked on October 13, 2026: impots.gouv.fr, je découvre la facturation électronique · DGFiP practical guide (PDF) · Légifrance, article 242 nonies A of annex II of the CGI and article L441-9 of the Commercial Code · article 293 B of the CGI · EN 16931-1 standard, published by CEN.