Introduction
Peppol (Pan-European Public Procurement On-Line) is a global network for electronic document exchange, widely adopted for e-invoicing across multiple countries. It provides a standardized protocol for companies to exchange business documents like invoices, credit notes, and purchase orders. The Peppol network is particularly popular in:- Nordic countries (Norway, Finland)
- Asia-Pacific region (Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand)
- Several EU countries for business-to-government invoicing (Germany, Italy, Croatia)
Setup
Let’s prepare your workspace to work with Peppol. We’ll configure the Peppol app and create three workflows:- Invoice issuance workflow: Send invoices through the Peppol network
- Invoice reception workflow: Receive invoices from the Peppol network
- Party registration workflow: Programmatically onboard companies (Parties) with Invopop
1
Connect the Peppol app
- Within the Console, navigate to Configuration → Apps
- Find the Peppol app in the list
- Click Connect to activate it. The Peppol app should now appear in the list of Enabled apps
2
Configure a workflow to issue invoices
Now we’ll create the workflow that converts invoices to a valid Peppol format and sends them through the Peppol network. In this example, we’ll generate a Peppol BIS Billing UBL 3.0 document.Skip this step if you only want to receive invoices via Peppol.
3
Configure a workflow to receive invoices
4
Configure the Peppol app
Within the Console, navigate to Configuration → Apps, find the Peppol App and click Configure. You’ll need to set two fields:
- Incoming Workflow: Select the Receive Invoice Workflow created in Step 3. This is where the app will send incoming invoices (expenses) received from the Peppol network.
5
Configure a Party registration workflow
This workflow onboards companies (Peppol participants) to Invopop before they can issue or receive invoices. If you’re managing your own invoices only, you may use this workflow just once. However, if you’re offering Peppol to your customers through Invopop (white-label use case), you’ll run this workflow for each merchant you onboard.
- Template
- Code
- Build from scratch
Running
After setup, you can perform three key operations with Peppol in Invopop: onboarding entities (parties) so they can use Peppol, sending invoices through Peppol, and receiving Peppol invoices.Registering parties
Business entities are represented in Invopop as GOBLorg.party objects, which we call Parties.
Peppol requires Invopop to collect proof of ownership for regulatory compliance. As outlined in Section 3.3 End user Identification of the Internal Regulations II document, key details such as VAT number, address, contact information, and company name must be provided and validated during registration.
To register a party:
- Upload it to the Silo with required company information
- Send it to the party registration workflow
Upload a party document
You can upload parties via the Create an Entry API endpoint or manually through the Console. For this guide, we’ll demonstrate the manual process:- Find the Parties section in the sidebar and click Suppliers
- Click + New Supplier to open the editor
- Use one of the following examples and adapt to your needs
Belgium
Germany
Italy
Spain
Belgium supplier example
- Company name (fiscal name)
- VAT number (tax ID)
- Complete company address
- Contact information
- Peppol Participant ID*
Send to the registration workflow
Once the document is saved:- Click the Select Workflow button
- Select the Register Supplier workflow created during setup
- Click Run Workflow
Programmatic registration (white-label)
For programmatic integration, upload the proof of ownership document using the API. This is particularly useful for white-label implementations when you want to integrate the registration process into your own application. After using this API endpoint the verification process will begin automatically.Completion
After Invopop approves your registration, your party will be registered in the Peppol network. You’ll see the Peppol Participant ID in the Meta tab of the entry, and the GOBL document will contain aninboxes array.
Unregistering a participant
If you need to unregister an entity (because the supplier is no longer your client, for example), use the following workflow template:Example Peppol unregister party workflow
Sending invoices
To send an invoice, you need to store it as a Silo Entry with the- Store it as a Silo Entry with the Peppol inboxes previously obtained.
- Send it to the Sending Invoice Workflow created during setup
eu-en16931-v2017 addon to enable validations and extensions needed for Peppol
- Belgium
- Germany
- Italy
- Spain
Peppol Belgium - B2B standard invoice
Peppol Belgium - B2B standard invoice
Regular invoices are used for B2B transactions. Regular invoices must be issued when:
- The customer is a registered business (has a tax identification number).
- The customer needs a complete invoice with all tax details for accounting or tax purposes.
eu-en16931-v2017 addon and ensure the customer field contains valid tax identification details. The addon will automatically set the document type to 380 when the silo entry is built (which happens automatically when saving a silo entry through the API or console).Peppol Belgium - B2B zero rated goods invoice
Peppol Belgium - B2B zero rated goods invoice
Goods and services that are subject to VAT but taxed at a 0% rate. Zero rated goods in Belgium are:
- Daily and weekly newspapers, as well as periodical publications that meet a specific criteria.
- Recyclable materials such as waste and scrap intended for recycling.
- Educational materials under specific conditions.
zero in your invoice lines. The eu-en16931-v2017 addon will automatically set the UNTDID 5305 tax category to Z (zero rated goods) when the silo entry is built.With zero-rated supplies, businesses can still reclaim input VAT on their purchases, whereas with exempt supplies they cannot.
Peppol Belgium - B2B exempt invoice
Peppol Belgium - B2B exempt invoice
Exempt invoices are used for B2B transactions that are exempt from VAT, which also covers exemptions in internal operations.To create an exempt invoice, use the tax key
exempt in your invoice lines. The eu-en16931-v2017 addon will automatically set the UNTDID 5305 tax category to E when the silo entry is built. You must also state the reason for the exemption through the CET VATEX - VAT exemption reason codes.Exempt operations are not subject to VAT but must still be reported. The
supplier must be previously registered with the tax authority and the customer tax id must be valid.Peppol Belgium - B2B services → EU customer (Reverse Charge)
Peppol Belgium - B2B services → EU customer (Reverse Charge)
Reverse charge invoices are used for B2B services provided to customers in other EU member states. Reverse charge must be applied when:
- The customer is a registered business in another EU member state (has a valid EU VAT ID).
- The service is provided to a business customer (B2B), not a consumer.
- The service is subject to VAT but the customer accounts for the VAT in their own country.
reverse-charge in your invoice lines. The eu-en16931-v2017 addon will automatically set the UNTDID 5305 tax category to AE (reverse charge) when the silo entry is built.With reverse charge, no VAT is charged by the supplier. The customer accounts for VAT in their own country. Both
supplier and customer VAT ID must be valid and registered in the EU VIES system.Peppol Belgium - B2B goods → EU customer (Intra-Community)
Peppol Belgium - B2B goods → EU customer (Intra-Community)
Intra-community supply invoices are used for B2B goods delivered to customers in other EU member states. Intra-community supplies must be applied when:
- The customer is a registered business in another EU member state (has a valid EU VAT ID).
- Goods are physically delivered to another EU member state.
- The supply is exempt from VAT in the origin country and subject to VAT in the destination country.
intra-community in your invoice lines. The eu-en16931-v2017 addon will automatically set the UNTDID 5305 tax category to K (VAT exempt for EEA intra-community supply of goods and services) when the silo entry is built.With intra-community supplies in the EU, the customer accounts for VAT in their destination country. The
supplier must be previously registered with the tax authority and the customer VAT ID must be valid and registered in the EU VIES system.Peppol Belgium - B2B services → international customer (Outside Scope)
Peppol Belgium - B2B services → international customer (Outside Scope)
Outside scope invoices are used for B2B services provided to customers outside the EU.To create an outside scope Peppol invoice, use the tax key
outside-scope in your invoice lines. The eu-en16931-v2017addon will automatically set the UNTDID 5305 tax category to O (Services outside scope of tax) when the silo entry is built.Services provided to non-EU customers are generally outside the scope of EU VAT.
Peppol Belgium - B2B goods → international customer (Export)
Peppol Belgium - B2B goods → international customer (Export)
Export invoices are used for B2B goods delivered to customers outside the EU.To create an export Peppol invoice, use the tax key
export in your invoice lines. The eu-en16931-v2017 addon will automatically set the UNTDID 5305 tax category to G (Free export item, tax not charged) when the silo entry is built.Exported goods are exempt from VAT. The
supplier must be previously registered with the tax authority. Customer tax identification is optional but recommended for record-keeping purposes.The
payment: { "terms": {"detail": "..."}} field is required for EN16931 (EU) invoices and should be filled in with due dates or payment terms.Receiving invoices
Invopop automatically processes invoices received from the Peppol network using your configured Incoming Workflow. The workflow converts Peppol documents to GOBL format and creates Silo Entries for each invoice. Configure your workflow with webhooks or Google Drive integration to deliver these invoices to your systems.FAQ
Please contact the Invopop support team if you have any questions that are not listed here.What visibility do I need to have in my Peppol Party?
What visibility do I need to have in my Peppol Party?
The visibility of your Peppol Party determines what documents you can send and receive.
smp: Only SMP, should be used for testingsmp+sml: SMP and SML, useful when you want to send documents but not receive themsmp+sml+peppol: SMP, SML, and Peppol Directory, recommended for both sending and receiving documents as you will be visible in the Peppol Directory
Can I remove UBL or CII from the 'Peppol receive invoice' workflow if I only use one format?
Can I remove UBL or CII from the 'Peppol receive invoice' workflow if I only use one format?
Yes, you can remove either format based on your needs. Our template includes both UBL and CII imports for comprehensiveness, but if you’re certain you’ll only receive invoices in one format, you can safely remove the unused format. This simplifies your workflow and reduces the number of apps you need to activate.
What are Participant IDs?
What are Participant IDs?
Participant IDs are unique identifiers for entities in the Peppol network. They consist of two parts:
- Scheme: Identifies the type of identifier being used (e.g.,
9920for Spanish VAT numbers,0208for Belgian BCE numbers) - Code: The actual identification number
When registering a supplier we get an error: 'XXXX:XXXXXXXXX is already registered' on the Register Peppol Party step
When registering a supplier we get an error: 'XXXX:XXXXXXXXX is already registered' on the Register Peppol Party step
This is because because a supplier with the stated participant ID has already been registered in your workspace.
Should I set the $regime in Peppol?
Should I set the $regime in Peppol?
By default, the regime is automatically determined from each supplier’s settings, which is recommended in Peppol.
How do I assign multiple inboxes to a single supplier?
How do I assign multiple inboxes to a single supplier?
You must register them through different silo entries, even though they represent the same party. The supplier must upload their proof of ownership documentation for each inbox assigned.
What should we do if the customer doesn't belong to the Peppol network?
What should we do if the customer doesn't belong to the Peppol network?
In countries where Peppol is the standard but not mandatory, you must often provide an e-invoice even if the recipient isn’t registered in the Peppol network. Both parties can agree on an alternative transfer method (not Peppol), but the invoice must still be EN16931 compliant.Recommended approach:
- Set up a separate workflow that generates the XML without sending it via Peppol
- Alternatively, use your current workflow without the customer Peppol ID (the send Peppol document step will automatically skip)
- Fetch the generated XML
- Deliver it through an agreed-upon method, typically email
How do I handle B2C invoices in Peppol?
How do I handle B2C invoices in Peppol?
B2C (business-to-consumer) invoices typically don’t include the structured customer information required for Peppol delivery, and most consumers don’t have Peppol inboxes to receive invoices through the network. While it’s technically possible to send B2C invoices via Peppol if you have the customer’s Peppol endpoint details, this is rarely the case in practice.The recommended approach is to implement a conditional workflow:
- Check for Peppol capability – Using the If/Else workflow step, detect the presence of the customer’s inbox via the following expr:
count(customer.inboxes, true) > 0 - Set up an alternative flow - Adding a workflow condition, select “OK” and code
false. Then set-up your alternative flow (Generate PDF and send by email, for example). Make sure to stop the flow within the workflow condition at the end.
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