# France CIUS CII
Official external specifications for the French e-invoicing reform. (opens new window)
As part of the French e-invoicing reform, domestic B2B invoices are exchanged through accredited platforms (Plateformes Agréées, PA). The French standard XP Z12-012 defines how these invoices are structured, based on the European norm EN 16931. The CII syntax is also used as the embedded XML in the hybrid Factur-X format.
The France CIUS profile uses the standard EN 16931 guideline identifier (BT-24):
urn:cen.eu:en16931:2017
The examples below come from XP Z12-012 Annexe B (v1.3) and contain French comments that map each element to its EN 16931 business term (BT). Next to the regular invoice, the examples show two use cases with an important structural difference:
- Credit note (avoir): uses type code 381 and references the initial invoice. Unlike UBL, CII has no separate credit note schema; the CrossIndustryInvoice schema is used for both.
- Corrective invoice (facture rectificative): an invoice with type code 384 that corrects and references the initial invoice.