The POS Compliancy in France applies to both software publishers and companies developing their own software internally who are seeking to ensure compliance with regulations, demonstrate the quality of their product, or reassure their customers. By enrolling in the certification process, a company can benefit from the recognition of the NF mark, which inspires trust, quality, and security.
How to reach POS Compliancy in France?
It is important to note that by embarking on a compliance journey, a company opens up to new markets by substantiating the quality of its product. The certification process will allow the company to optimize its practices and internal processes related to their support, testing, documentation, etc.
Regarding the process to reach POS compliancy in France there are five distinct stages:
First Stage: Registration for POS compliancy in France.
Upon requesting contact, you will receive an identification form to be completed and returned to us. You will then receive a quote for an initial audit, which aims to evaluate your software’s compliance.
Second Stage: Integration of certification rules.
Once the registration is approved, the software publisher or the company will receive the certification rules to be integrated into their software before scheduling an audit.
In addition to the certification rules, and depending on the certification sought, such as NF525 related to the anti-VAT fraud law, you can participate in a half-day training session on the presentation of certification and the integration of certification rules into your software to save valuable time in achieving software compliance.
Third Stage: Certification audit.
Once the certification rules are integrated into your software, and development is complete, we will schedule an audit together. During the audit, one or more auditors will conduct checks to assess any disparities between the certification rules and your software.
Fourth Stage: Report and Decision.
Following the checks, INFOCERT submits a certification decision to AFNOR Certification. In certain cases, an additional audit may condition the certification decision. In case of a certification agreement, the certificate of compliance will be accessible directly on our dedicated website – see the list of certificates.
Fifth Stage: Annual monitoring of the POS compliancy in France.
Annual monitoring will assess compliance over time. The duration of monitoring depends on regulatory changes or certification rules.
Why Certify My Software to POS compliancy?
As mentioned earlier, software compliance is accompanied by improved software quality and opportunities for the software publisher or the company developing the software.
Software compliance also helps in staying updated on regulatory developments concerning certification and ensures that the product is maintained and up to date. This is especially important in the current context of preparing for the implementation of the widespread use of electronic invoicing. As a reminder, this reform represents a significant fiscal upheaval, and starting from January 1, 2024, French companies will be required to receive electronic invoices directly from their chosen platform. You can find all the important information in our special dossier or through our dedicated comprehensive training, the cost of which can be covered by your OPCO.
To reiterate, software certification applies to all types of companies and publishers, whether it’s an ERP, a SaaS solution, software hosted in the cloud, and more. Software compliance can cover different domains, including business management, GDPR, anti-VAT fraud law, billing software, and more.
What Are the Risks of Non-Compliance with Software Compliance?
By certifying their software, companies or publishers also protect themselves from potential penalties outlined by regulations. For example, in the case of combating VAT fraud and NF525 certification. In the event of using software that does not comply with regulatory requirements, Article L-80 of the book of tax procedures provides for the following penalties:
- A fine of €7,500 per cash register system and 30 days to achieve compliance. Then, another €7,500 fine and another 30 days, and so on, potentially leading to the rejection of accounting.
- The user will also have to pay all rights related to non-compliant revenues, plus an 80% penalty for fraudulent manipulation.
For the publisher or integrator, the fine is 15% of turnover, and the user is responsible for payment.
How Long Does It Take to Achieve POS Compliancy in France?
Being certified means committing to a transparent, improving, and continuously evolving software process.
The duration of the process is related to the time it takes for you to bring your software into compliancy. This time can range from 1 to several months. And an effective progress certificate, valid for 6 months, can be sent to you during the process of achieving compliance for your product. This progress certificate can help you justify your progress to the Tax Administration or reassure potential clients about your progress in the certification process.
The duration of the certification audit is typically two days. Stages of the certification process and the audit time can vary depending on the certification sought. For example, the NF552 certification related to GDPR.
How Much Does POS Compliancy in France Cost?
The cost of certification is related to the specificities of your software and the certification sought. On average, it costs around 6,000 to 7,000 euros.
This price includes the cost of specifications, pre-work – analysis and request management, scheduling management, audit cost, audit report, administrative processing of compliance, and the issuance of the certificate.
If you have questions about the certification process or software compliance. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at contact@infocert.org. We will be happy to help answer all your questions.
