Issue your first invoice in 3 steps

What is this path for?

The "Votre première facture en 3 étapes" (Your first invoice in 3 steps) path takes you from nothing to a ready invoice, without leaving the screen: a client, a product or service, then the invoice. Every step can be skipped: nothing is required before the invoice, neither your logo nor your bank account.

Example. Karim has just created his account. From the dashboard he clicks "Commencer" (Start), creates "Atelier Zahra" as a client and "Conseil en gestion" at 1,500.00 DH excl. VAT as a service, checks the summary, then clicks "Émettre la facture" (Issue the invoice). He downloads the PDF within minutes.

Where do I find the path, and who can use it?

• Dashboard card: a "Votre première facture en 3 étapes" card is shown as long as your company has no invoice other than drafts. Its "Commencer" button opens the path. The cross (or "Plus tard", Later) closes it on this device: it will not come back for you.
• "Bienvenue sur Billora" page (onboarding): a link to the path appears at the top of the page.
• Direct address: the "Votre première facture" page (/dashboard/premiere-facture).

The path is reserved for members who can create invoices (owner, administrator, collaborator). A read-only accountant or a viewer does not see the card; if they open the address, the page says "Votre rôle ne permet pas de créer des factures : ce parcours n'est pas disponible pour vous." (Your role does not allow creating invoices: this path is not available to you.) Each creation button also depends on its own right: without the right to create clients, "Créer un nouveau client" does not appear (same for products), and "Émettre la facture" requires the right to send invoices.

Step 1 of 3: the client

The step title is "Pour qui est cette facture ?" (Who is this invoice for?).

1. Look for an existing client in the list (the first 20 results, with a "Rechercher un client…" search field) and click it: "Client choisi" (Client chosen) is displayed.
2. Or click "Créer un nouveau client". The name is required; the type (Société or Particulier), the ICE (15 digits, companies only) and the address are optional. "Créer le client" saves it and selects it.
3. Click "Continuer", or "Passer" (Skip) to go to the next step without a client.

Step 2 of 3: the product or service

The title is "Que facturez-vous ?" (What are you invoicing?). Same principle: choose an existing product ("Rechercher un produit ou un service…"), or click "Créer un nouveau produit". The panel asks for the name, the price excl. VAT ("Prix HT"), the VAT (your company's default rate is suggested) and the type (Produit or Service). "Créer le produit" adds it to the catalogue and selects it. Use "Retour" (Back) to return to the previous step.

Step 3 of 3: the invoice

The title is "Vérifiez votre facture" (Check your invoice). The summary shows the client, the description, the quantity (1 by default, editable), the unit price excl. VAT, then the total excl. VAT, the VAT and the total incl. VAT, calculated as in the usual invoice form. The issue date is today; the due date uses the client's payment term if they have one.

• "Créer en brouillon" (Create as draft): the invoice is created without a number. You can edit it, then issue it later from its page.
• "Émettre la facture": the invoice receives its number and moves to the "Envoyée" status, without sending any email (you then send it from its page if you wish).

If a client or a product is missing (skipped step), the summary says so with a "Choisir un client" or "Choisir un produit" button to go back. For an invoice with several lines, use the full "Nouvelle facture" form (see Create an invoice).

Permanent number or trial invoice?

What the screen shows before issuing depends on your account's mode:

• Real mode: "Cette facture recevra un numéro définitif (ex. FA-2026-0001) : elle ne pourra plus être supprimée, seulement annulée par un avoir." (This invoice will receive a permanent number: it can no longer be deleted, only cancelled by a credit note.) The example number follows the prefix and format of your numbering. An "Émettre cette facture ?" message asks for confirmation before issuing.
• Test mode: "Facture d'essai : elle porte le filigrane TEST et sera supprimée quand vous passerez en mode réel." (Trial invoice: it carries the TEST watermark and will be deleted when you switch to real mode.) No confirmation is asked.

The path never creates a sample invoice and issues nothing without your click.

Sample data (test mode)

In test mode only, the Client and Product steps offer "Remplir avec un exemple" (Fill with an example): the form is pre-filled with "Client exemple SARL" and "Prestation exemple" (a service at 1,000.00 DH excl. VAT, with your company's default VAT). Nothing is saved until you click "Créer le client" or "Créer le produit". In real mode the button does not exist: no fictitious record should enter your quotas, statistics, exports or your accountant's view.

Once this data is saved, a banner offers "Supprimer les données d'exemple" (Delete sample data). It finds the client and the product by their exact name and deletes them, if your role allows it. If the client already has documents, the message "Ce client a des documents : il sera supprimé au passage en mode réel." (This client has documents: it will be deleted when you switch to real mode.) is shown: in test mode, clients and their documents are erased when you switch to real mode. A product already used in a document cannot be deleted: archive it from the products list.

After the invoice

The success screen shows "Facture … émise" (or "Brouillon créé") with "Voir la facture" and "Télécharger le PDF". It then offers, as optional extras: "Ajoutez votre logo à vos prochaines factures" (if no logo is saved) and "Ajoutez votre compte bancaire (RIB)". These links appear only if your role can change those settings (see Bank accounts).

On the mobile app

The same path exists in the Billora app for Android and iPhone, with the same rules (skippable steps, permanent number in real mode, example in test mode only, nothing is created until you tap). On the "Accueil" (Home) screen, the "Votre première facture en 3 étapes" card is shown under the same conditions as on the dashboard; "Commencer" opens the "Votre première facture" screen. Closing it (cross or "Plus tard") only applies to that phone.

1. Client: tap "Choisir ou créer un client" (Choose or create a client). Your client list opens; "Nouveau client" (New client) shows the form (name required; Société or Particulier, ICE and address optional), then "Créer le client". In test mode, "Remplir avec un exemple" opens this form directly, pre-filled. "Changer" (Change) lets you pick another client.
2. Product: tap "Choisir ou créer un produit" (Choose or create a product), then "Nouveau produit" (New product) if needed (name, price excl. VAT, VAT, Produit or Service) and "Créer le produit".
3. Invoice: check the summary, change the quantity if needed, then tap "Émettre la facture" (confirmation "Émettre cette facture ?" in real mode) or "Créer en brouillon".
4. Afterwards: "Voir la facture" opens the invoice record, from which you share the PDF. The suggestions "Ajoutez votre logo à vos prochaines factures" and "Ajoutez votre compte bancaire (RIB)" open the matching settings in the app.

Differences from the web version: on mobile, "Supprimer les données d'exemple" deletes the example client but archives the example product ("Archiver" button); when a limit of your subscription is reached, the message returned by Billora is shown in the form. If electronic invoicing is enabled, only "Créer en brouillon" is offered, as on the web.

Special cases and common errors

• Limit reached: if your subscription's limit of clients, products or invoices is reached, an alert replaces the form or the creation buttons and indicates the plan to choose (read from the configuration, "depending on your subscription").
• Electronic invoicing (DGI) enabled: the "Émettre la facture" button is not offered in the path. Create the draft, then issue it from its page, where the transmission to the DGI is handled.
• Issuing refused (the client's credit ceiling, for example): the invoice stays a draft, and the success screen shows "La facture a été créée en brouillon, mais elle n'a pas pu être émise" followed by the reason. Resume the issuing from the invoice page.
• Invalid quantity: "La quantité doit être un nombre supérieur à zéro." (The quantity must be a number greater than zero.)

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to enter my logo and bank details before my first invoice?

No. They are offered after issuing, never required before. Your next PDFs will show them as soon as they are saved.

Can I delete my first invoice if I make a mistake?

In real mode, an issued invoice has a permanent number: it is not deleted, it is cancelled by a credit note. A draft, on the other hand, stays editable and deletable. In test mode, trial invoices are deleted when you switch to real mode.

Why did the dashboard card disappear?

It disappears as soon as your company has an invoice other than a draft, if you closed it on this device, or if your role does not allow creating invoices. The path remains available from the "Bienvenue sur Billora" page.

The "Remplir avec un exemple" button does not appear. Why?

It exists in test mode only. In real mode, create your real client and your real product directly.

Next steps