Invoices to French public entities (the state, regions, cities, hospitals, public establishments) do not go through the B2B network and do not go by email: they are submitted on Chorus Pro, the public invoicing portal, mandatory for all suppliers since 2020, foreign ones included. Registration is free and open to companies without a SIRET, identified by their VAT or national number. The file is the same Factur-X you build for private French customers; what changes is the routing data: the public entity's SIRET, a service code, and often a commitment number.
Two French channels, and which one this is
The 2026 reform organized invoices between businesses; the public sector kept its older system. If your customer is a public body, nothing about the B2B network, the reform's scope for foreign suppliers or accredited platforms applies: Chorus Pro is the whole story, and it has been since 2020. The quickest tell: French public bodies have SIREN numbers starting with 1 or 2, and your contract or purchase order will name Chorus Pro explicitly.
Registering from abroad
Create the company account on the Chorus Pro portal. A French company identifies itself by SIRET; a foreign company without one registers with an "identifiant hors SIRET", typically the intra-Community VAT number or a national company number, chosen at signup. One account serves all your French public customers, with users and API access if you automate later.
What the invoice must carry
- The recipient's SIRET. Public bodies route by establishment: the exact SIRET of the paying entity, from the purchase order or contract, not the ministry's headline number.
- The service code. Many entities split processing by department and publish a code your invoice carries as buyer reference; Chorus Pro's public directory says whether it is required for your recipient.
- The commitment number (numéro d'engagement): the identifier of the purchase order or legal commitment. For many entities it is mandatory, and its absence is the classic cause of stuck invoices.
- The usual invoice content, EN 16931 profile, validated like any French-bound file. Your VAT coding follows the cross-border rules that apply to the deal, reverse charge included where relevant.
Upload the Factur-X on your Chorus Pro account (portal upload, or API for volume); the portal reads the XML and prefills processing. Statuses are Chorus Pro's own: submitted, made available, suspended, mandated, paid; "à recycler" means the recipient identification is wrong, fix and resubmit.
Frequently asked questions
Can a company without any French registration use Chorus Pro?
Yes. Registration supports foreign identifiers; you do not need a SIRET, a French VAT registration or a fiscal representative just to invoice a public body.
Is Chorus Pro part of the 2026 reform network?
No. It predates the reform and remained unchanged: public-sector invoices stay on Chorus Pro, business-to-business invoices went to the accredited-platform network. Different portals, different statuses.
Where do I find the SIRET, service code and commitment number?
On the purchase order or contract, and in the public-entity directory inside Chorus Pro, which also says which references your recipient requires. When in doubt, ask the ordering service before invoicing; it beats a suspended invoice.
My invoice shows "à recycler". What happened?
The recipient data is wrong, usually the SIRET or the service. Chorus Pro returns the invoice for you to correct the addressing and resubmit; no credit note is needed at that stage.
Does the 2026 reform change anything for my public-sector invoices?
No. Your file was already electronic on Chorus Pro. The reform's mentions and the B2B network concern invoices between businesses; keep your Chorus Pro flow as is.
Published 23 September 2026. Sources: Chorus Pro documentation (AIFE), B2G e-invoicing obligation in force since 2020. GetFacturX is not an accredited platform and is not connected to Chorus Pro: you upload the file produced here on your own Chorus Pro account. This article is not tax or legal advice. Dates, frequencies and amounts are those known at publication and may change; check them before relying on them.