Approved e-invoicing platform: role and how to choose

An approved platform (the former PDP) is the registered private operator through which your e-invoices travel and your e-reporting is transmitted. Since the free public portal was reduced to a directory role, using one is no longer optional. Here is what an approved platform actually does, why you will need one, how to choose the right one, and why a coach usually does not have to deal with it directly. (Current as of 18 July 2026.)

What is an approved platform (ex-PDP)?

An approved platform (plateforme agréée) is a private company that the DGFiP has registered to handle businesses’ e-invoicing. These were known as partner dematerialisation platforms, or PDPs; the official wording has moved to approved platform, but the role is the same. They form the infrastructure the whole reform runs on.

In practice, an approved platform does three things for you: it turns your invoice into a compliant structured file (Factur-X, UBL or CII), transmits it to your business client’s platform, and reports the expected data to the tax authority, including your e-reporting. It also manages the invoice lifecycle (submission, receipt, statuses) and the directory that routes each invoice to the right recipient.

Why you will not be able to avoid one

When the reform launched, the state planned a free public invoicing portal (PPF) that the smallest businesses could have used at no cost. That scenario changed: the PPF was refocused as a directory and data hub, and no longer issues or receives invoices on businesses’ behalf.

The consequence is simple: every business, including a coach running a micro-entreprise, will rely on a private approved platform, whether directly or through software that integrates one. The timeline is still the reform’s own, receiving from 1 September 2026, then issuing and e-reporting from 1 September 2027, set out in our guide to e-invoicing in France for sports coaches. The official list of platforms is published on impots.gouv.fr.

How to choose one: the criteria that matter

If you decide to pick a platform yourself, a few criteria deserve your attention before you commit.

• Registration. Check that the platform is on the official DGFiP list (over 150 operators by summer 2026, and the number changes monthly) and that its approval is valid.
• Formats and interoperability. It must handle the expected structured formats (Factur-X, UBL, CII) and, ideally, the PEPPOL network, so it can talk to your clients’ platforms.
• E-reporting coverage. For a coach this is decisive, since your sales to individuals fall under e-reporting rather than structured e-invoicing. We cover this for the coach billing private clients.
• Hosting and security. Invoicing data is sensitive: favour French hosting and serious guarantees (ISO 27001 certification, GDPR compliance).
• Pricing. This is the main trap. Some platforms charge per invoice issued, which inflates the bill as your activity grows. A predictable cost protects your margin better.

The per-invoice pricing trap

That last point is worth dwelling on, because it echoes a habit coaches already know from coaching software: usage-based billing. A platform charged at a few cents per invoice feels painless at first, then rises with your growth, exactly when you would want your costs to stay flat. We discuss this cost logic in our guide to personal trainer software. A clear flat fee, or a platform already included in your management tool, spares you that drift.

The questions to ask before signing

Beyond the criteria, a few concrete questions save you from nasty surprises when picking an operator.

• Are you registered by the DGFiP, and under what number? (cross-check against the official list)
• Do you handle e-reporting of sales to individuals, and how often is the data transmitted?
• Which formats do you produce (Factur-X, UBL, CII), and are you connected to the PEPPOL network?
• How do I get my data and invoices back if I switch platforms?
• Is pricing flat or per invoice, and what happens if my volume grows?
• Where is the data hosted, and do you offer a GDPR-compliant data-processing agreement?

A serious platform answers these plainly. A vague reply, especially on reversibility (getting your data back) or on pricing, is a signal worth taking seriously before you commit.

PPF, Chorus Pro and PEPPOL, briefly

Three names come up often and are worth telling apart. The PPF (public invoicing portal) is the state’s central directory, which routes invoices to the right platform and no longer serves as a sending channel. Chorus Pro is the platform for invoices addressed to the public sector, which you use if you bill a local authority or a public body. PEPPOL, finally, is an international invoice-exchange network: a platform connected to PEPPOL can talk to a wide range of other operators, a mark of interoperability. For the vast majority of coaches, all that matters is that the chosen platform can talk to their clients’ platforms; these technical pieces work in the background.

The simplest route for a coach

Choosing, configuring and monitoring an approved platform is a project in itself. For a solo coach, the simplest path is to work through management software that already integrates an approved platform: you keep invoicing from your usual tool, and issuing in the right format and e-reporting happen in the background, with no separate platform to administer. You keep the benefit of compliance without carrying its complexity. To move forward calmly before the deadline, our checklist to prepare for e-invoicing sets out the steps.

How Athletis approaches this

At Athletis, we start from the idea that a coach should not have to become an approved-platform expert to stay compliant. Athletis works with an approved platform to issue your invoices in the expected format and carry your e-reporting, so you simply keep billing your clients as you do today, without choosing or wiring up an operator yourself.

When we evaluated platforms for Athletis, the criterion that held us up most was not technical, it was pricing: many charge per invoice, which cuts against our choice never to bill per active client. We ruled those models out for that reason. Try Athletis or tell us about your business.

To understand what a breach can cost, see our piece on e-invoicing penalties. The essential point: an approved platform is now unavoidable, but the right software spares you both the choice and the upkeep.