Peppol in Belgium: The Complete 2026 Guide
If you run a Belgian business that invoices other businesses, Peppol is no longer optional. From 1 January 2026, structured electronic invoicing between VAT-registered companies becomes mandatory, and Peppol is the network that carries those invoices. This guide explains what Peppol is, how it works, what the 2026 mandate requires, and the concrete steps to get ready.
What is Peppol?
Peppol (Pan-European Public Procurement On-Line) is a standardized network for exchanging business documents electronically. Instead of emailing a PDF that a human has to read and re-type, you send a structured invoice that the recipient's accounting software reads automatically.
The network is built on a four-corner model. There are four parties in any exchange:
- Corner 1 - the sender (you, the supplier).
- Corner 2 - the sender's Access Point, which formats and transmits the document.
- Corner 3 - the receiver's Access Point, which receives and validates it.
- Corner 4 - the receiver (your customer).
An Access Point is a certified service provider that connects your software to the Peppol network. You connect to one Access Point, and through it you can reach every other organization on the network. Each participant has a unique Peppol participant ID, which in Belgium is derived from the enterprise number (KBO/CBE). You never connect to your trading partners one by one - the network handles routing for you.
The Belgian 2026 e-invoicing mandate
Starting 1 January 2026, every VAT-registered business in Belgium must send and receive structured electronic invoices through Peppol for B2B transactions. This is a legal requirement, not a recommendation.
Who is affected: all VAT-registered businesses in Belgium - freelancers, SMEs, and large corporations alike. If you invoice other Belgian businesses, you need to be ready.
What changes: a structured electronic invoice replaces the paper invoice and the PDF. A PDF emailed to a client is not a compliant e-invoice, because it is not machine-readable in the required format. After the mandate takes effect, B2B invoices must travel as structured documents over Peppol.
To be ready you need three things: a Peppol identifier based on your enterprise number, a certified Access Point to connect you to the network, and software that can generate invoices in the correct format.
How Peppol works: documents and formats
Peppol documents use UBL (Universal Business Language), an XML-based standard. The specific profile for invoicing is Peppol BIS Billing 3.0, which defines exactly how invoices and credit notes are structured so that any compliant system can read them.
The two core document types for billing are:
| Document type | UBL syntax | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice | Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 | A request for payment for goods or services |
| Credit note | Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 | A correction or reversal of a previously issued invoice |
Because the format is standardized, an invoice you send from Belgium can be read by a supplier's system in any other Peppol country without custom integration work. The structure carries the line items, VAT breakdown, totals, and party identifiers in fields the receiving software maps automatically.
How to get Peppol-ready in Belgium
Getting ready comes down to three steps.
- Be registered. Your business needs a valid enterprise number in the Belgian company registry (KBO/CBE). Your Peppol participant ID is built from this number.
- Connect through a certified Access Point. You cannot join Peppol directly - you go through a certified provider that handles registration on the network and the secure transmission of documents.
- Use Peppol-capable software. Your invoicing or accounting tool must generate UBL / Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 documents and send them over the network.
Feen handles all three. We connect to Peppol via Recommand.eu, a certified Access Point, and the Peppol certificate is included so you do not manage it yourself. You activate Peppol from inside the platform, and Feen converts your invoices to the correct format and routes them. Plans start from €7/month, ex-VAT, with a 14-day free trial and no card required.
How to check a company's Peppol status
Before you send an invoice, it helps to know whether your customer is already on the network. You can verify any Belgian company for free with our Peppol checker: enter a VAT number and you get the company's registry details and its Peppol registration status in seconds.
For a step-by-step walkthrough of reading the result, see our guide on how to check a company's Peppol status.
Frequently asked questions
Is Peppol mandatory in Belgium?
Yes. From 1 January 2026, structured B2B e-invoicing over Peppol is mandatory for VAT-registered businesses in Belgium.
Is a PDF invoice a valid e-invoice under the mandate?
No. A PDF is not a structured, machine-readable invoice. Compliant B2B invoices must be sent as structured documents (UBL / Peppol BIS Billing 3.0) over the Peppol network.
What is a Peppol Access Point?
It is a certified provider that connects your software to the Peppol network, handles your registration, and transmits documents securely. You connect to one Access Point to reach every participant on the network.
What is a Peppol participant ID?
It is your unique address on the network. In Belgium it is derived from your enterprise number (KBO/CBE), so trading partners can route invoices to you automatically.
Do I need new software to comply?
You need software that can produce and exchange Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 documents through a certified Access Point. Feen does this natively, so no separate Peppol integration is required.
How much does Peppol cost with Feen?
Plans start from €7/month, ex-VAT, with a 14-day free trial and no card. The Inbox plan covers receiving over Peppol, while Pro adds sending plus AI extraction and the Access Point certificate.