On this page
An invoice that lands straight in your customer's books
Over Peppol your invoice no longer ends up in a mailbox but straight in your customer's accounting package. The name first stood for Pan-European Public Procurement Online. An invoice over Peppol is not a PDF in an email: it is a structured file, a UBL invoice, that your customer's software reads without retyping.
Peppol is not a program you install or a website you log into. It is a set of rules and a network of certified service providers, the access points. You invoice from your accounting or invoicing software as usual; that software sends the invoice onto the network through an access point.
A European pilot from 2008
Peppol began in 2008 as a large pilot funded by the European Commission, so governments across Europe could order and receive invoices electronically, across borders. In 2012 the project ended and OpenPeppol took over, a non-profit international association under Belgian law. Today countries outside Europe use the network too. In Belgium it has been the standard for invoices between VAT-registered businesses since 1 January 2026.
Four corners, one address
Peppol uses four corners. You (corner 1) create an invoice in your software. Your access point (corner 2) looks up where your customer is and sends the invoice to your customer's access point (corner 3), which delivers it into their software (corner 4). You and your customer need not use the same provider, just as you can call someone on another phone network. Every company has a Peppol ID; for a Belgian company that is 0208 followed by the company number. Whether a company is already on the network, the Peppol check shows.
Four corners and an address book
- Corner 1Your invoicing softwareCreates the invoice as a UBL file in the Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 format.
- Corner 2Your access pointA certified Peppol service provider, often built into your software.
- Corner 3Your customer's access pointCan be another provider: the network is open.
How does corner 2 find corner 3?
Through a lookup: the central SML points to an SMP, which says which access point your customer uses and which documents they accept.
Peppol ID of a Belgian company
0208:0123456789
Like calls between two phone operators: you do not need the same provider as your customer.
A PDF by email against the network
| What | PDF by email | Invoice over Peppol |
|---|---|---|
| What the customer gets | A picture of an invoice | The data itself, in fields |
| Booking it | Retyping or scanning | The software reads it in |
| Valid between Belgian VAT-registered businesses since 2026 | No, only as a fallback | Yes |
| Delivery | Can land in spam | Confirmed through the network |
| What you need | A mailbox | Software with a certified Peppol provider |
Invoicing Belgian companies from abroad
The Belgian mandate applies to businesses established in Belgium; the rules of the other countries are in e-invoicing in Europe. A company without a Belgian establishment falls outside it, but your Belgian customers may still prefer Peppol invoices, because their software is built to receive them. If you already invoice over Peppol in your own country, nothing changes: the network is the same. Whether you are in scope, and what to do if you are, is in is Peppol mandatory in Belgium and the guide to e-invoicing in Belgium; registration step by step is in Peppol registration.
A plumber who switched in 2026
Take a plumber near Ghent who sent PDF invoices from a spreadsheet until the end of 2025. For 2026 he picks an invoicing package with Peppol built in. The package registers him with a certified provider on 0208 and his company number, and checks for each customer whether they are on the network. An invoice to a contractor goes over Peppol, with the structured payment reference inside, and lands in the contractor's books within minutes. An invoice to a private customer stays a PDF: Peppol is required between businesses, not for consumers. A valid Belgian structured payment reference comes from our tool.
From free to a few euros a month
The network charges you nothing per invoice: you pay your software or service provider. The Belgian finance ministry lists more than 250 solutions, some free for small volumes; which software for Peppol helps you choose, and Peppol invoicing software covers building it into your own system. Belgian companies that do not comply risk fines of 1,500, 3,000 and 5,000 euros for repeated offences.
What companies ask about the mandate
Is Peppol mandatory in Belgium?
Yes, since 1 January 2026 for invoices between Belgian VAT-registered businesses. Invoices to consumers are out of scope, and there are exceptions, including for exempt activities.
What is a Peppol ID?
Your address on the network. For a Belgian company it is 0208 followed by the company number, for example 0208:0123456789. Your provider registers it for you.
Can I register on Peppol myself?
No. Registration runs through a certified Peppol service provider, usually the provider of your accounting or invoicing software.
Is Peppol only for Europe?
No. It started as a European project, but countries outside Europe use the network too. Each country sets its own rules on when e-invoicing is required.