What is an approved platform (plateforme agréée) in France?

In practice, in France

The name changed along the way: these operators were first called PDP, for “partner dematerialisation platforms” (plateformes de dématérialisation partenaires). The official term today is “approved platform” (plateforme agréée, PA). Both describe the same thing, and a lot of documentation still online uses the older term.

An approved platform does four things: convert invoices into the right format, route them to the recipient’s platform, manage acknowledgements of receipt, and pass the data through to the DGFiP. It is listed on a register published by the tax authorities, and that registration can be withdrawn — which is why it is worth checking the register rather than a vendor’s sales pitch.

In Odoo

Odoo is registered as an approved platform by the DGFiP. For an SME already running its invoicing in Odoo, that removes one decision and one contract: no third-party operator to choose, no extra subscription, no connector to maintain between two systems.

That does not remove the need for configuration: the issuing channel, the default format, and the identification of your partners still need to be set up.

Common mistakes

• Looking for a PDP thinking it is something different from a PA — it is the same thing under two successive names.
• Assuming the public portal can substitute for an approved platform: it does not play that role.
• Choosing an operator based on its marketing without checking it is actually on the official register of registered platforms.