France — preparing for e-invoice onboarding
France — preparing for e-invoice onboarding
What Staple needs from you
To receive e-invoices on your behalf in France, Staple needs to register each French entity in the French Annuaire (the national e-invoicing directory operated by DGFiP) and on the Peppol network. French law requires this registration to be carried out through a certified Plateforme Agréée (PA).
For this registration to be legally valid, you must sign a PA mandate that designates the platform partner on your company’s behalf. The mandate is generated automatically by Staple during onboarding using the information you provide, and you sign it either electronically or by hand.
For each French entity, you will need to provide:
The same information and process apply to both testing and live operation — the only difference is that the mandate signed for live operation is legally binding.
Before you start
Please make sure you have:
- A valid SIREN (9 digits) for the French entity you want to register. SIREN is the identifier issued by INSEE that identifies your legal entity.
- A designated signatory — typically the President, Managing Director, or another officer with the authority to sign legal documents on behalf of the company.
- A signing method chosen — electronic (recommended) or handwritten.
- A secure place to store any documents you collect (signed mandate, scanned identity documents).
Information to gather
Company information
Signatory information (legal representative)
Why signatory details are needed: the mandate is a legal document and must identify a named signatory with a verifiable identity. These four fields are written directly into the mandate PDF that you sign, and are used by the verification team during approval.
Choosing your signing method
Electronic signature (recommended)
- Faster — typically processed within minutes once submitted.
- No identity document upload required. The signature is cryptographically validated against the EU Trusted List.
- Requires access to a PAdES-compliant electronic signature tool. Common examples used in France include Yousign, Universign, DocuSign, and Adobe Sign. Many tools — including free ones — support PAdES; check your tool’s documentation if you are unsure.
Handwritten signature
- Slower — typically processed within the same business day.
- Requires you to print the mandate, sign it by hand, and scan or photograph the signed document.
- Additionally requires clear images of the signatory’s identity document. Acceptable options are:
- Both sides of a national identity card (Carte Nationale d’Identité), OR
- The identity page of a passport, OR
- A residence permit (titre de séjour)
- Images should be in JPEG or PNG format, each under 10MB, and clearly legible.
We recommend electronic signature where possible — it is faster, does not require uploading identity documents, and is more secure.
What happens next
When you are ready to register, contact Staple support at support@staple.io with your company information and signatory information (above).
Staple will generate the mandate document using the details you provided and share it with you for signature. To complete registration:
- Sign the mandate using your chosen method (electronic or handwritten).
- Return the signed mandate to Staple. If you signed by hand, also provide the identity document images.
Once verified, the registration completes. Verification typically takes a few minutes for electronic signatures and up to 72 hours for handwritten signatures.