Peppol access point in Belgium: what it is and how to choose
An access point is the Peppol service provider that connects your business to the Peppol network, so that you can send and receive structured invoices. You need one to invoice on Peppol, but in practice it is usually built into the software you invoice with. Below you read how to check that it is certified.
What is a Peppol access point?
A Peppol access point is the certified service provider that connects your business to the Peppol network, and through which you send and receive invoices. The government’s e-invoicing website calls such an access point a Peppol service provider and writes that they are therefore “sometimes also called ‘Access Points’”. In this article, access point stands for that service provider. It belongs to the step invoices and Peppol.
The same page sums up what an access point does in three tasks: it ensures compatibility through open standards such as UBL, secure, encrypted communication and automated processing. Between your access point and your customer’s there is a link, and according to the e-invoicing website an e-invoice is in most cases delivered within a few minutes to a few hours.
According to the government’s e-invoicing website (efactuur.belgium.be), the Peppol network works like a telecom network: you send and receive directly with everyone connected to it, through certified service providers. Your customer’s access point therefore does not have to be yours.
The network itself, the format and your Peppol ID are covered in what Peppol is. The full picture of Peppol in Belgium is in the Peppol overview.
Do I need an access point, and do I choose it myself?
You need an access point to send or receive a Peppol invoice, but usually you do not choose it yourself: it is built into the software you invoice with, which is already connected to Peppol. Only in some cases does your software supplier let you choose one yourself.
According to the e-invoicing website, you cannot register on Peppol directly, only through an approved Peppol service provider. In practice that usually happens through the end-user software solutions that are connected to the Peppol network. To send, receive and process structured e-invoices in your bookkeeping, according to the e-invoicing website’s page on software solutions you need software that is connected to the Peppol network.
If your software supplier gives you a free choice, you can contact a certified service provider, according to the e-invoicing website. If you invoice with, for example, Word or Excel, the e-invoicing website advises choosing specific software first. If your software is already on the list of the FOD Financiën (the federal tax administration), check whether it allows both sending and receiving a structured electronic invoice.
The steps that follow once you have chosen are in registering your business on Peppol.
If your software is connected to an access point, that does not make the software an access point.
How do I choose an access point?
Start from what you need and what you want to pay for: the FOD recommends no product and no supplier, and a listing on its list is not a certification. According to the FOD in its article on the list of solutions, a software application’s listing on the list implies no assessment of content or quality, and no certification by the FOD Financiën.
The advice in Wat heb ik nodig voor e-facturering? (What do I need for e-invoicing?), in the article on the list of solutions and on the page about software solutions comes down to four questions:
- What do you need, and what do you possibly still want to keep doing by hand?
- What do you pay for: what does the legal obligation cover and what goes beyond that obligation?
- How does the integration with your bookkeeping work, that is, how do the invoices get there?
- Does the software allow both sending and receiving?
What it costs and which routes there are is covered in the cost of Peppol invoicing.
How do I know whether an access point is certified?
OpenPeppol publishes the list of certified service providers, and that is where you check yours. A provider can be removed from that list if it receives non-compliance sanctions, says OpenPeppol on its list.
Look up your service provider in OpenPeppol’s list. An access point’s role is shown there as “AP Certified”. The country in the list is that of the provider’s legal establishment, not that of its area of operation. That page does not say who carries out the certification or how.
Belgium adds one requirement. The FOD BOSA has been the Belgian Peppol Authority since 1 January 2016, according to the government’s e-invoicing website (efactuur.belgium.be). According to OpenPeppol’s document on the Belgian requirements, a provider must identify every Belgian participant it serves on Peppol by its company number (the identification scheme of the KBO / BCE (the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises, Belgium’s business register), 0208). The e-invoicing website says that providers are contractually obliged to do so and that refusing can lead to withdrawal of the certification.
The same document answers “No” under “Service Provider Accreditation”: Belgium adds no accreditation of its own. The document dates from December 2023, so read it as what it says and not as today’s position.
Two lists are often confused. One is OpenPeppol’s, the other the FOD’s:
| OpenPeppol list | Federal tax administration list | |
|---|---|---|
| What is on it | Certified Peppol service providers | End-user software |
| For whom | Software suppliers and users who may choose an access point themselves from their supplier | End users looking for software |
| Certified | Yes, whoever is on the list is certified | No, no certification by the FOD Financiën |
| Size | Is kept up to date | More than 250 applications on 23 May 2025 |
Software on the FOD’s list is not certified for that reason, and the FOD says so itself. A listing is not an assessment and not a certification by the FOD Financiën.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Peppol access point?
An access point is the certified Peppol service provider that connects your business to the Peppol network. According to the government's e-invoicing website, it ensures compatibility through open standards, secure communication and automated processing. Through such a provider you send and receive invoices with everyone connected to the network.
Do I need a Peppol access point?
Yes, to send or receive a Peppol invoice. According to the government's e-invoicing website, you cannot register on Peppol directly, only through an approved service provider. In practice that usually happens through the end-user software you invoice with, because it is already connected to the Peppol network.
Is my invoicing software also my access point?
Not necessarily. Your software is connected to an access point, but that does not make the software an access point itself. According to the government's e-invoicing website, your software supplier in some cases lets you choose an access point yourself. You then contact a certified service provider.
Does my customer need the same access point as me?
No. According to the government's e-invoicing website (efactuur.belgium.be), the Peppol network works like a telecom network: you send and receive directly with everyone connected to it, through certified service providers. Your customer's access point therefore does not have to be yours, as long as both are on the network.
How do I know whether an access point is certified?
Look the provider up in the list of certified service providers that OpenPeppol publishes. A provider can be removed from that list if it breaks the rules. The FOD Financiën software list is not a certification: a listing there does not mean the software is certified.
An access point should be the most boring link in your invoicing. If you know what it does and where to check it, the choice stays with you.
💜💙 Your BravoLisa Team
This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute professional tax, legal, or accounting advice. Every situation is different — consult a qualified professional (tax adviser, accountant, or lawyer) for advice specific to your circumstances. BravoLisa does not accept liability for decisions made based on this information.
Sources (6)
- efactuur.belgium.be — Algemene vragen over Peppol
- efactuur.belgium.be — Softwareoplossingen voor het verzenden, ontvangen en verwerken van elektronische facturen
- efactuur.belgium.be — De lijst met oplossingen is lang: waar begin ik?
- efactuur.belgium.be — Wat heb ik nodig voor e-facturering?
- OpenPeppol — Peppol Certified and Fully Compliant Service Providers
- OpenPeppol — Belgium, Peppol Authority Specific Requirements