Electronic invoicing compliance for SMEs - France, Germany, and the rest of the EU
France's e-invoicing mandate applies to all businesses from September 2026. Germany's B2B e-invoicing requirement is already in effect. Most SMEs are not ready. Arthur agents read your invoices, check format compliance, and route them through your existing approval flow. No new finance system. Launching soon.
Electronic invoicing is not a tax change. It is a workflow change. Every B2B invoice you send or receive must be in a structured format (Factur-X, UBL, ZUGFeRD) and routed through an approved platform. Your accounting software may handle the format. It does not handle the validation, the routing exceptions, the missing-mandate cases, or the supplier records that still arrive as PDFs. That part is manual. Arthur automates it.
Format compliance changes per country
France requires Factur-X by default. Germany allows ZUGFeRD or XRechnung. Italy uses FatturaPA. Most SME accounting tools handle one format, not all - and your suppliers send what their tool can produce.
Suppliers still send PDFs - even after the mandate
Mandates apply to businesses, but compliance dates are staggered. For 18 months you will receive a mix of structured XML and old-style PDFs. Someone has to convert, validate, and book each one.
Validation errors block the books
Missing SIRET, wrong VAT mention, IBAN typo - an invoice that fails the platform check sits in limbo. Without an agent flagging it, you only see the rejection when the supplier chases payment.
No dedicated AP team to manage the transition
SMEs do not have an AP analyst monitoring the platform daily. Compliance falls to the finance lead, who already has a full role. The mandate becomes one more thing on the list.
Supplier Reconciliation Agent
Hope
Reads incoming invoices in any format (structured XML, PDF, scanned). Maps each invoice to your purchase records, flags missing mandatory fields for your country's e-invoicing rules, and queues exceptions for your finance lead to approve.
Days of AP coordination compressed to minutes per cycle
Invoice Audit Agent
Victor
Audits a single incoming invoice end-to-end. Confirms required mandates are present, VAT calculations match, supplier identifiers are valid, and totals reconcile - before the invoice reaches your books.
Per-invoice audit in under 60 seconds
Compliance Verification Agent
Vera
Checks your e-invoicing setup against the legal requirements for your country. Confirms which mandates apply by date, which formats your business must accept, and where your current process has gaps.
Weeks of compliance prep compressed to a single review
Audit time per invoice
Under 60s
Formats supported
Factur-X / UBL / ZUGFeRD / PDF
Countries covered
France, Germany, Italy, NL, ES, PT
New software required
None - integrates with existing AP
- 1Hope ingests every supplier invoice — structured XML from the partner platform or PDF email attachments
- 2Victor audits each invoice: mandatory fields, VAT, identifiers, totals — flagging anything that fails
- 3Vera confirms the format and routing match your country's e-invoicing rules for the invoice date
- 4Exceptions are queued for your finance lead with a one-click approval or rejection summary
- 5Approved invoices flow to your accounting system; rejected ones return to the supplier with the specific gap noted
- France 2026 mandate readiness — All French businesses must accept structured e-invoices from September 2026. Run a full audit of incoming invoices today to find the gaps before the deadline.
- Germany B2B e-invoicing — In effect since January 2025 for receipt; transition deadlines for issuing extend through 2027. Check that your inbound flow handles XRechnung and ZUGFeRD without manual conversion.
- Mixed-format reception — During the transition years you will receive a mix of XML and PDFs. Arthur unifies both streams so your finance team works from one queue, not two.
- Cross-border SME procurement — Buying from suppliers in multiple EU countries means multiple formats. Arthur normalises everything to your internal record before booking.
- Compliance evidence on request — Need to show your auditor that every received invoice was validated against the legal format? Arthur keeps the audit log per invoice.
Is Arthur certified as an e-invoicing platform (PDP, PA, etc.)?
No. Arthur is not a Plateforme de Dématérialisation Partenaire (France) or a Public Administration interchange platform. Arthur sits next to your certified platform and handles validation, exception routing, and audit logging — the parts that the certified platform does not do for you.
Do I still need a certified platform?
Yes. In France and several other countries, the law requires invoices to flow through a certified exchange platform (PDP or the public portal). Arthur complements that platform; it does not replace it.
What formats does Arthur read?
Factur-X, UBL, ZUGFeRD, XRechnung, FatturaPA — the standard EU structured formats — plus regular PDFs and scanned images for transition-period invoices.
When will this be available?
Arthur's invoice and reconciliation agents are launching soon. Sign up to be notified for your country's compliance window.
Who is this for?
Finance leads at SMEs (10-250 employees) who do not have a dedicated AP analyst but need to be compliant when the mandate hits. Built for the team that owns finance and operations together.
Does Arthur generate outbound e-invoices?
Today Arthur focuses on the inbound side: receipt, validation, exception handling, and reconciliation. Outbound issuance still runs from your billing or ERP system through your certified platform.
Be ready for the e-invoicing mandate - without buying a new finance system
France 2026 is closer than it looks. Arthur audits, validates, and reconciles every supplier invoice. See the plans.
Arthur agents provide validation, reconciliation, and audit logging. They do not replace a certified e-invoicing exchange platform (PDP, public portal) or qualified tax advice. Confirm legal obligations with your accountant or tax authority.