How to Send a Peppol Invoice What you actually need to start invoicing over the Peppol network

TL;DR: To send a Peppol invoice you need three things: (1) a Peppol ID, (2) an access point that connects you to the network, and (3) accounting software that produces a valid UBL/Peppol BIS 3.0 file. The good news: if you already use modern accounting software, you probably have all three with one click — you just need to enable it. This guide walks through what each piece does and how to start.

You’ve heard that you should be sending invoices via Peppol, especially with country mandates rolling out across the EU in 2026 and 2027. But the documentation tends to assume you already understand access points, identifiers, BIS profiles and validation. Here’s the version that doesn’t.

The three things you need

1. A Peppol ID (your address on the network)

A Peppol ID is your unique address on the Peppol network — like an email address, but for invoices. It’s typically based on your country code plus a recognised identifier:

• In most EU countries: country code + VAT number (e.g. 0208:BE0123456789 for a Belgian company)
• In Germany: VAT number or the Leitweg-ID for B2G
• In other regions: country-specific business numbers

You don’t usually generate this yourself — your access point assigns and registers it for you (more on that below).

The important part: once you’re registered, your Peppol ID is published in a directory so that other businesses can find you and send invoices to you. Receiving works automatically the moment you’re registered.

2. An access point (your gateway to the network)

An access point is a service provider connected to the Peppol network. Think of it like an email server: you don’t connect to “the email network” directly, you connect to a provider (Gmail, Outlook, your own mail server) which talks to the rest of the network.

Same with Peppol: you connect to an access point, and the access point handles all the technical bits — secure transport, validation, certificates, looking up recipients in the directory.

In practice, your access point is one of two things:

Option A — Your accounting software is also an access point. Many modern accounting tools (Xero, Moneybird, Yuki, Exact, certain Sage products, etc.) are Peppol-certified access points themselves. You enable Peppol in the settings, and you’re done. No extra contract.

Option B — A standalone access point provider. If your accounting software isn’t Peppol-certified, you connect to a third-party access point (Storecove, Pagero, Tradeshift, Babelway, Comarch, Unifiedpost and many country-specific providers). These typically charge a small fee per document or a monthly subscription.

3. Software that produces valid UBL

Sending over Peppol means sending a Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 invoice — a tightly specified UBL XML format. It needs to validate against schema rules: correct VAT codes, ISO currency codes, mandatory fields, structured tax breakdowns.

Again, modern accounting software does this for you. You fill in the invoice the same way you always have, and behind the scenes the system produces compliant UBL.

If you’re a developer building this yourself: the Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 specification, validation rules and sample files are all public on docs.peppol.eu.

Step-by-step: sending your first Peppol invoice

This is the typical flow for a small business or freelancer using modern accounting software.

1. Check that your accounting software supports Peppol. Search the help centre for “Peppol” or “e-invoicing” — most tools have a settings page for it. If yes, continue. If no, see the standalone access point section below.

2. Enable Peppol in your settings. This usually means confirming your VAT number and accepting terms. Your accounting tool registers your Peppol ID for you.

3. Wait for confirmation. Registration can take from minutes to a couple of business days, depending on the provider. Once registered, you can both send and receive Peppol invoices.

4. Create an invoice as you normally would. Customer details, line items, VAT — same workflow.

5. Look for a Peppol option at the send stage. Often appears as a button or toggle: “Send via Peppol”, “Use e-invoicing”, “Send as e-invoice”. The system looks up your customer’s Peppol ID in the directory automatically — if they’re registered, the invoice goes through the network. If they’re not, your software falls back to email with a UBL attachment.

6. Check delivery status. Peppol gives back delivery receipts. Your accounting software should show the invoice as delivered once the recipient’s access point confirms.

That’s it. From the user’s perspective it’s no different than emailing a PDF, except the recipient’s accounting system imports it automatically without anyone retyping numbers.

What if my software isn’t Peppol-ready?

Two paths.

Switch software. If you’re a small business invoicing a few times a month, switching to a modern accounting tool is usually the easiest fix. Most popular tools in your country are Peppol-certified.

Use a standalone access point. If switching isn’t an option, services like Storecove, Pagero or country-specific providers give you a Peppol gateway with API access or a simple web upload. You produce UBL files in your existing tool and the access point handles delivery. Costs typically range from €0.10–€1 per document depending on volume.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to be in the EU to send Peppol invoices?

No. Peppol started in Europe but is now used in Australia, Singapore, Japan, New Zealand and via pilots in the US. As long as your country has a Peppol authority and the recipient is registered, it works internationally.

Do I need a separate Peppol ID for each country I do business in?

No. One Peppol ID per legal entity. The address book is global — anyone on Peppol anywhere can find you.

Can I send a Peppol invoice for free?

If your accounting software is itself a Peppol access point and includes it in your subscription, yes — there’s typically no per-invoice fee. If you use a standalone access point, expect a small per-document or monthly fee.

What if my customer isn’t on Peppol?

Modern accounting tools usually fall back to email with a UBL attachment in this case. Your customer still gets a valid UBL file — they just get it as an email attachment rather than directly into their accounting software. They can open it with a viewer like UBL Buddy on their Mac.

Can I send invoices in PDF and UBL at the same time?

Yes — and it’s a good idea during the transition. Most accounting tools can attach a PDF rendering to the Peppol message so that humans see something familiar and machines read the structured XML. Hybrid formats like ZUGFeRD work the same way.

What’s the difference between Peppol and just emailing a UBL file?

A UBL file emailed as an attachment is still valid e-invoicing data — your recipient can import it. Peppol adds: automatic recipient lookup, secure transport with delivery receipts, schema validation before sending, and direct landing in the recipient’s accounting system without manual filing. For country mandates like Belgium 2026, the network channel itself is part of the legal requirement, not just the format.

What’s a Peppol authority?

Each country has a designated Peppol authority — the body that approves access points, runs the directory, and aligns the country with the OpenPeppol governance. In Belgium it’s FOD BOSA; in the Netherlands it’s NPa; in Germany it’s KoSIT; in the UK it’s NHS Digital (originally for healthcare, but expanding). For most users this is invisible — you only deal with your access point.

Further reading

• What is a Peppol invoice? — the standard, the network, and the format
• Peppol vs UBL: what’s the difference? — clearing up the terminology
• E-invoicing mandates by country — when do you have to be Peppol-capable?
• E-invoicing in Belgium 2026 — the most concrete EU deadline today