The French CIUS is France's set of extra rules on top of the European standard EN 16931 for the e-invoicing reform whose first obligations took effect on 1 September 2026. It applies to invoices in UBL, CII and Factur-X with French rules and profiles.
DGFiP links to AFNOR XP Z12-012 for the formats and profiles; version 3.2 of the external specifications focuses on the public data and directory services. Klarbon offers the selected France CTC checks for UBL Invoice and CII files in beta. A pass is not confirmation of tax correctness or platform acceptance.
What does the French CIUS add?
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Base | EN 16931 |
| Syntaxes | UBL, CII, Factur-X |
| Reform documentation | DGFiP, external specifications version 3.2 of 30 April 2026 (impots.gouv.fr, in French) |
| Formats and profiles | AFNOR standard XP Z12-012 |
| Klarbon validation artefacts | France CTC 1.4.0.04 for UBL Invoice and CII, selected explicitly |
A CIUS narrows the standard: it is a subset of the core model and must not break it, so a file that meets a CIUS is still a valid EN 16931 invoice (European Commission).
Who needs it?
Businesses invoicing under the French reform. All VAT-subject businesses established in France must be able to receive e-invoices from 1 September 2026; large and mid-sized businesses must send them from that date, small and micro businesses from 1 September 2027 (DGFiP, in French). Invoices travel through an approved platform; see e-invoicing in France.
What can Klarbon do with the French CIUS?
| Task | Status |
|---|---|
| Open a UBL, CII or Factur-X invoice | works today, open an e-invoice, free |
| Check against selected EN 16931 rules | beta, check an e-invoice |
| Check against the French BR-FR rules | beta: when the seller is in France, the check result offers "Check against French rules" |
| Make a Factur-X invoice | works today, create a Factur-X invoice |
Klarbon is not an approved platform and does not send invoices to the French administration.
Related
Frequently asked questions
What is a CIUS?
A core invoice usage specification. It narrows or adds rules to the European standard EN 16931 for one country or sector, without breaking the standard. XRechnung is the German one.
Which syntaxes does the French CIUS cover?
UBL, CII and Factur-X, the three formats of the French reform.
Where is the French CIUS published?
The formats and profiles are set out in AFNOR XP Z12-012. DGFiP links to that standard from its external-specifications page, which publishes version 3.2 of 30 April 2026 for the reform's public services.
Does a file that passes the French rules satisfy the reform?
No. A valid file is only part of it. Under the reform, invoices travel through an approved platform (plateforme agréée), which Klarbon is not.
Sources
- DGFiP, external specifications for e-invoicing (in French) impots.gouv.fr
- DGFiP, discovering e-invoicing (in French) impots.gouv.fr
- European Commission, EN 16931 compliance ec.europa.eu