Between acronyms, standards, and technical terms, e-invoicing vocabulary can quickly become an obstacle in itself. This glossary defines each important term in one or two clear sentences — no jargon left unexplained.
PDP — Partner Dematerialization Platform
A private company accredited by the French administration, responsible for transmitting your electronic invoices and reporting the necessary data to the tax authorities. In France, from September 2026, transmitting an electronic invoice must go through a PDP — generating the right file is not enough.
PPF — Public Invoicing Portal
The public service that supports the reform, notably via a national directory allowing companies’ electronic contact details to be found. Its role has evolved throughout the reform: it is not a universal free invoicing platform that every company connects to directly, contrary to what its name might suggest.
Factur-X
The format chosen by France (and Germany): a classic PDF that also contains invisible structured data, automatically readable by accounting software. Full explanation in our dedicated article.
CII (Cross Industry Invoice)
The technical format of the structured data hidden inside a Factur-X file. You normally never need to handle it directly — it’s the technical layer that Factur-X wraps inside a readable PDF.
UBL (Universal Business Language)
The format used in Belgium and the Netherlands, unlike Factur-X. Unlike Factur-X, a UBL file is a purely structured file (often XML) — it doesn’t look like a classic PDF when opened.
Peppol
A secure transmission network between businesses, used in Belgium and the Netherlands to circulate UBL-format invoices. Peppol is not a file format — it’s the channel through which the file travels, somewhat like a postal system between accounting systems.
EN 16931
The European standard that defines the mandatory minimum content of an electronic invoice (amounts, VAT, party identities…). Factur-X and UBL are two different ways of writing this same standard — which is what makes them compatible at the content level, even though their technical format differs.
To go further, find the full timeline by country in our article on the 2026 mandate, or generate a compliant invoice directly with Factilix.
Article updated on July 11, 2026.