Invoices by country and type of client
Updated 27 October 2026 · 4 min read
Fillfold issues PDF invoices in France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Private clients are fine everywhere there. Business clients depend on the e-invoicing rules of your country, with a countdown when an end date applies.
More and more countries ask businesses to exchange invoices as structured e-invoices through official networks, not as PDFs. Fillfold makes PDF invoices, so it only lets you issue them where a PDF is still allowed. You choose your country in Invoice settings, under Country rules.
Countries
| Country | Private clients | Business clients |
|---|---|---|
| France | Yes | Until 31 August 2027, for small and medium-sized businesses |
| Germany | Yes | Until the end of 2026; until the end of 2027 if last year's turnover was at most 800,000 euros; no end date for small businesses under § 19 UStG |
| Belgium | Yes | No: structured e-invoices since 1 January 2026 |
| Netherlands, Ireland, United Kingdom | Yes | Yes |
Spain, Italy and Portugal are not available: Spain's Verifactu rules for invoicing software start in 2027, Italy requires the state system (SdI), and Portugal requires certified software.
Business clients must be in the same country as you. Invoices to a business abroad (reverse charge) are not available yet. A private client abroad is possible, with a warning: VAT rules such as the EU One-Stop Shop may apply.
When an end date applies, the invoices list shows a countdown, and the editor lists it under Before you issue.
Private or business client
At the top of the editor, choose Business or Private individual. A VAT number or company number always means a business. When you issue an invoice to a private individual, you confirm it by ticking My client is a private individual not acting for a business. Fillfold keeps a record of that confirmation.
Some mentions only apply to business clients, for example the late payment penalties and the 40 euro recovery fee in France. Reminders to private clients are polite and never mention fees.
France: e-reporting
Sales to private individuals are reported to the tax administration through an approved platform (e-reporting), from September 2027 for small businesses. Fillfold does not send anything to that platform; the Export in Invoices gives a CSV for your accountant or your platform.
Keeping invoices
Issued invoices are never deleted automatically. Each invoice shows how long it is kept. Download the archive regularly with Export, Archive with PDFs (ZIP): Fillfold is not a certified archiving service. See Create and send an invoice.
Creating and issuing invoices is part of the Pro and Pay as you go plans (open to every account during early access). If your plan changes, the invoices you already issued stay here: you can read, send, export and correct them.
Questions
- Is Fillfold certified invoicing or archiving software?
- No. It makes numbered, locked PDF invoices and checks the usual mentions. It does not send anything to a tax authority and is not a certified archive.
- How long must I keep my invoices?
- It depends on the country: 10 years in France and Belgium, 8 in Germany, 7 in the Netherlands, 6 in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Check with your accountant.
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