SEPA Validator for French Companies
France migrated from CFONB legacy formats to SEPA XML in 2014. Validate your pain.001 credit transfer and pain.008 direct debit files against EPC standards before submitting to your French bank. 100% browser-based - no file uploaded.
Open SEPA ValidatorSEPA payments in France: from CFONB to ISO 20022
France completed its SEPA migration in August 2014, replacing the national CFONB formats (160/240 characters) with ISO 20022 XML messages. The Banque de France and the Comité Français d'Organisation et de Normalisation Bancaires (CFONB) oversee compliance with EPC (European Payments Council) rulebooks.
All French banks accept pain.001 (CustomerCreditTransferInitiation) for supplier payments and salary transfers, and pain.008 (CustomerDirectDebitInitiation) for recurring collections such as utility bills, insurance premiums, and subscription services. French IBANs follow the format FR + 2 check digits + 10 bank/branch + 11 account + 2 national check (27 characters total).
SEPA adoption timeline in France
SEPA Credit Transfer (SCT) launched. French banks begin accepting pain.001 XML files alongside CFONB formats.
SEPA Direct Debit (SDD) goes live. pain.008 files replace national direct debit formats (prélèvements).
SEPA migration deadline. CFONB formats officially retired for EUR payments. All French businesses must use pain.001/pain.008.
EPC 2023 rulebook update: SEPA Instant Credit Transfer becomes mandatory for PSPs. French banks must support instant SCT reception.
What ValidateFin checks in your SEPA file
Before submitting to your French bank, verify your SEPA XML file passes these checks:
- XML schema validation against the official ISO 20022 pain.001.001.03/09/11 and pain.008.001.02/08/10 XSD schemas
- French IBAN format: FR + 2 check digits + 5 bank code + 5 branch + 11 account + 2 key (27 chars), mod-97 checksum
- BIC validation: 8 or 11 character SWIFT code format for French banks (e.g., BNPAFRPP, AGRIFRPP)
- Mandatory fields: MsgId, CreDtTm, NbOfTxs, CtrlSum, InitgPty, PmtInfId, ReqdExctnDt, IBAN, amount
- CtrlSum consistency: total amount matches the sum of all individual transaction amounts
Common SEPA errors with French banks
Invalid French IBAN checksum
French IBANs use a national check key (2 digits at the end) in addition to the ISO mod-97 check. A wrong checksum causes immediate rejection by the bank's payment gateway.
CFONB-era account number used instead of IBAN
Some legacy systems still generate RIB (Relevé d'Identité Bancaire) numbers instead of IBANs. SEPA XML requires the full FR-prefixed IBAN in the <IBAN> element.
Missing or incorrect CtrlSum
The control sum in <GrpHdr> must exactly match the sum of all <InstdAmt> values. Rounding errors or missing transactions cause the entire file to be rejected.
Frequently asked questions
Which SEPA pain.001 version do French banks accept?
Most French banks accept pain.001.001.03 (the widely adopted version) and are transitioning to pain.001.001.09 (ISO 20022 2019). Some banks already support pain.001.001.11. Check with your bank for their preferred version. ValidateFin validates all three versions.
Can I validate SEPA Direct Debit (pain.008) files for France?
Yes. ValidateFin validates both SEPA Core Direct Debit (pain.008) and SEPA Credit Transfer (pain.001) files. For French SDD, ensure your creditor identifier (ICS - Identifiant Créancier SEPA) is correctly registered with Banque de France.
Is my data safe when validating SEPA files?
Absolutely. ValidateFin processes your SEPA XML files entirely in your browser. No file is uploaded to any server. Your sensitive payment data (IBANs, amounts, beneficiary names) never leaves your device. This is fully GDPR compliant.
Validate your SEPA files for French banking compliance
Check pain.001 and pain.008 structure, IBAN format, and EPC rules instantly. No file uploaded.