Complete Guide to Digital Invoice Archiving

Digital invoice archiving simplifies management, reduces costs, and ensures legal compliance. From September 2026, all French companies subject to VAT will need to issue and receive electronic invoices. Here are the key points to remember:

• Main advantages: time savings, error reduction, real-time tracking, and decreased costs related to paper and printing.
• Legal compliance: mandatory retention of electronic invoices for 10 years, with structured formats (Factur-X, UBL, CII).
• Enhanced security: use of certified platforms (PDP) and secure storage (certifications ISO 27001 and SecNumCloud).
• Technologies used: OCR to automate data capture and electronic archiving systems for simplified management.

With solutions like ONexpense, SMEs can effectively prepare for this transition while respecting legal requirements and optimizing their processes.

Legal requirements and compliance in France

Mandatory retention periods and standards

In France, legislation imposes strict rules concerning the retention of digital invoices. These documents must be kept in their electronic format for a minimum period of 10 years. This obligation applies to all companies, whether micro-enterprises or large corporations.

To ensure compliance, formats such as Factur‑X, UBL 2.0/2.1, CII, Peppol BIS and EDIFACT are accepted. These standards ensure optimal interoperability and comply with European standard EN 16931.

Throughout this retention period, three criteria must be imperatively respected: authenticity of origin, content integrity and invoice readability from their issuance until the end of the legal period.

Secure storage requirements

Beyond retention, data security constitutes a major challenge. French regulations require the use of a reliable audit trail, qualified electronic signature, or structured format based on EDI.

Partner Dematerialization Platforms (PDP) play a key role in guaranteeing integrity, authenticity and readability of data. For optimal protection, it is recommended to use certified service providers.

Among the most recognized certifications, SecNumCloud guarantees that data is hosted in France or Europe, protected from extraterritorial laws, and accessible only to authorized persons. For its part, ISO 27001 certification attests to the implementation of a structured system for information security management.

Finally, granular access management helps minimize risks related to sensitive data exposure. These devices strengthen security and prepare companies for the transition to mandatory electronic invoicing.

Preparation for electronic invoicing rules

The implementation of mandatory electronic invoicing requires rigorous preparation, particularly for SMEs. The deployment schedule provides for two main stages according to company size:

SMEs have a choice between the Public Invoicing Portal (PPF), free, and a Partner Dematerialization Platform (PDP), paid. This decision depends on each company’s specific needs, particularly in terms of invoice volume, integration with their ERP system, and necessary functionalities.

Companies must also inform the tax administration of the various stages of the invoice lifecycle (issuance, rejection, payment, collection). To prepare effectively, it is essential to analyze requirements related to e-reporting and define, with their PDP, appropriate exchange formats. Identifying addressing lines and setting up information flows with the chosen platform are also crucial.

Finally, training internal teams is a fundamental pillar of this transition. Employees must master compliant invoice formats, know how to transmit data via the selected platform, and be able to manage errors or rejections.

Tools and technologies for digital archiving

OCR for automated data capture

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is a key technology for digital archiving. It allows converting scanned documents or images into machine-readable text. For SMEs in France, this translates to significant time savings in processing paper invoices and unstructured digital documents.

Modern OCR solutions use sophisticated algorithms to accurately recognize different document formats. Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) goes even further: thanks to artificial intelligence, it analyzes and interprets information contained in documents. This proves particularly useful, knowing that nearly 90% of enterprise data is unstructured.

To get the most out of OCR, it is advisable to opt for software specialized in invoice processing, capable of automatically extracting data, recognizing essential elements, and easily integrating with existing systems. Prior training of the software on invoice examples allows adaptation of recognition to specific layouts and terms.

Secure digital storage systems

Electronic Archiving Systems (SAE) and Electronic Document Management Systems (GED) are essential for ensuring compliance and security of digital documents. These tools allow compliance with French legal obligations concerning electronic invoice retention.

An effective storage system must include validation mechanisms to detect any inconsistencies, as well as automation tools to simplify processes, such as approval workflows. According to studies, 63% of companies experience fewer invoicing-related problems after automating their accounts payable processes. Additionally, some companies can save up to $160 million by automating their invoice and purchase order workflows.

These technologies lay the foundation for integrated solutions, such as those offered by ONexpense.

How ONexpense supports digital archiving

To meet the needs of French SMEs in terms of documentary compliance and security, ONexpense offers a complete digital archiving solution. Its platform relies on advanced OCR technology, allowing users to scan receipts via their smartphone, automatically validate information, and generate Excel files for accounting teams.

ONexpense’s evidential archiving functionality guarantees secure document retention for 6 years, thus simplifying management while ensuring regulatory compliance. Additionally, ONexpense’s API facilitates integration with popular accounting tools like SAGE and Quadratus, eliminating manual re-entry and streamlining data exchanges between systems.

ONexpense offers its services starting at €2.90 per user per month, with advanced options available from €4.90 excluding tax per month.

How to implement digital archiving for SMEs

Steps to transition to digital archiving

Transitioning to digital archiving requires a structured and thoughtful approach. The first step is to analyze your current processes: identify friction points and evaluate the volume of documents you process each month. This helps better understand your needs and choose an appropriate solution.

Opt for a secure cloud solution, accessible from anywhere and capable of adapting to your growing needs. For example, ONexpense’s integrated solution offers ideal features for SMEs.

A good success example is that of Lawrence Paper Company. Thanks to implementing DocuWare in 2024, this 215-employee company went from processing 15 to 100 invoices daily, while digitalizing over 150,000 documents.

“We went from processing 15 invoices per day to 100 invoices per day,” explains Mike Cordaro, IT Specialist and Special Projects Manager at Lawrence Paper Company.

To succeed in your transition, configure automated workflows that respect your existing processes. Standardize naming conventions and use clear and uniform metadata. These practices simplify future document search and retrieval. Finally, secure your data to ensure the integrity of the entire system.

Data security and access management

Data security is an essential pillar of digital archiving. Sensitive data must be encrypted throughout their lifecycle. In parallel, implement rigorous access controls, with a permission hierarchy to protect confidential information while allowing legitimate access to those who need it.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is an excellent way to strengthen the security of your digital archives. Additionally, develop a clear archiving policy: determine what data to retain, for how long, and in what format (PDF/A, TIFF, plain text) to ensure their long-term accessibility.

To ensure document integrity, use version controls and redundant backups distributed across multiple sites. Also perform regular fixity checks using checksums to detect any file alteration or corruption.

Best practices for long-term compliance

Respecting regulatory requirements requires rigorous and well-documented management. Keep detailed logs of all activities performed in your archiving system to respond to audits. Regularly conduct risk assessments to identify weaknesses and prioritize corrective actions. Also test your restoration procedures to ensure they work in case of incident.

Continuous training of your teams is equally important. It helps develop a cybersecurity culture and raise awareness among your employees about best practices. In case of problems, a well-defined incident response plan can limit the impacts of a data breach or cyberattack. Finally, monitor access to prevent any suspicious activity and maintain your compliance standards.

Adopting digital archiving brings numerous advantages: space savings, quick search thanks to metadata, better data protection, and regulatory compliance. With solid practices and a well-designed system, you will be ready to support your company’s growth.

ONexpense’s Evidential Archiving solution, offered at €4.90 excluding tax per month, meets these needs: secure retention for 6 years, customized exports, and included training. An ideal option for SMEs wanting to modernize their document management while remaining compliant with legal requirements.

Benefits and ROI of digital archiving

Main benefits for SMEs

Digital archiving simplifies companies’ daily operations by eliminating manual tasks and accelerating searches thanks to automatic indexing and metadata. Finding a document takes only a few seconds.

Another major asset lies in reducing operational costs. Expenses related to paper, printing, storage spaces, and manual document management almost entirely disappear. By automating these processes, human errors are minimized, ensuring more accurate invoicing and reducing costs associated with corrections.

SMEs also benefit from impressive flexibility. Unlike traditional methods, digital solutions easily adapt to increased document volumes, without significant impact on fixed costs. This allows companies to focus on their growth rather than administrative constraints.

Finally, automation facilitates compliance with regulations in force, strengthening their competitiveness. These operational advances translate into significant savings and positive environmental impact.

Cost savings and environmental impact

Beyond time savings, digital archiving offers financial and ecological advantages. By abandoning paper and physical storage spaces, companies immediately reduce their expenses. These savings can then be reinvested in strategic initiatives.

Increased efficiency also allows accelerating payments, thus reducing delays and penalties. Moreover, this speed opens the door to early payment discounts, offering additional financial benefit.

From an environmental standpoint, reducing paper use decreases carbon footprint and improves the company’s image, while fitting into a corporate social responsibility approach.

SMEs quickly find that investment in digital archiving is largely offset by the savings achieved. For example, ONexpense’s Evidential Archiving solution, offered at €4.90 excluding tax per month, provides secure retention for 6 years and customized exports, ensuring advantageous return on investment.

Manual vs digital archiving comparison

Digital methods significantly outperform manual techniques in terms of speed, accuracy, and costs. Here’s an overview of the differences:

Companies adopting automation see impressive results: 20% cost reduction and productivity increase ranging from 27 to 133%. On average, small business leaders save 13 hours per week on their personal tasks, and their employees also gain an additional 13 hours.

Automation allows managing volumes three times larger while reducing unit costs and decreasing error rates from 5% to only 1%. These figures show that for SMEs, digital archiving is much more than an improvement – it’s an essential solution to remain competitive in today’s market.

Electronic invoice retention rules

Conclusion

Digital invoice archiving is no longer just a regulatory obligation for French SMEs, but a strategic lever facing upcoming legislative changes. This evolution is part of a broader movement to modernize commercial practices.

To succeed in this transition, SMEs must prepare carefully. This involves auditing existing systems, choosing an approved Partner Dematerialization Platform (PDP), and training teams. It is also essential to verify that the chosen solution supports required formats, such as UBL 2.1, UN/CEFACT CII, and Factur‑X.

Failure to comply can result in financial sanctions, jeopardizing small businesses’ cash flow. This is why a proactive approach is essential.

In this context, the ONexpense solution stands out. With its Evidential Archiving offer at €4.90 excluding tax per month, it guarantees secure invoice retention for 6 years, while allowing SMEs to focus on their core activities.

Far from being a simple legal constraint, digital archiving can transform administrative obligations into growth opportunities for companies.