Bill 96: do your quotes and invoices have to be in French?

Since Bill 96, the Charter of the French Language applies more firmly to businesses of all sizes. For a service business, the affected surfaces are concrete: quotes, invoices, contracts, your website, and written exchanges with Quebec clients.

The simple rule

A Quebec client has the right to be served and documented in French. You can produce bilingual documents or an English version — but at the client's request, never as an imposed default. A contract of adhesion (your service terms, for example) must be presented in French first; the client may then expressly choose English.

In practice for your documents

• Quotes and invoices: a French version available by default for any Quebec client.
• Maintenance contracts: French first, English version on express choice.
• Website and marketing: if you serve the Quebec market, a French version of equal quality is expected.
• Day-to-day communications: follow the client's expressed preference — and record it.

How MainteQC handles it

Every client has a language preference on their record. Invoices, quotes, reminder emails and the portal follow that preference automatically. If an admin tries to send an English invoice to a Quebec client with no recorded English preference, the system warns before sending — a guardrail, not an obstacle.

The full interface exists in French and English, for your employees and your clients alike. See the features page for details.

Plain-language summary, not legal advice — the OQLF publishes official guides for your sector.