5 min readUpdated October 2026

Peppol in Belgium: what it is and what you must do

Peppol is the network through which businesses exchange structured e-invoices, and you must use it if you have a VAT number and invoice a Belgian VAT-registered business, since 1 January 2026 according to efactuur.belgium.be. You connect through an approved access point (a Peppol service provider).

How does Peppol work?

Peppol is an open network with shared rules through which businesses send and receive structured invoices, and you connect through a Peppol service provider, usually inside your invoicing software. According to the FAQ on Peppol from efactuur.belgium.be, a Peppol service provider, also called an access point, connects businesses and governments to that network.

You send the invoice from your software, and in most cases an e-invoice is delivered within a few minutes to a few hours, according to the same FAQ. If it takes longer than one working day, you contact your software’s supplier. According to the same FAQ, the FOD BOSA has been the Peppol Authority in Belgium since 1 January 2016.

All articles on invoices and Peppol are under Invoices and Peppol.

Since 1 January 2026, Belgian VAT-registered businesses use structured e-invoices between themselves, and a PDF by email or through a platform is no longer enough, says efactuur.belgium.be. According to the FAQ on the B2B obligation, the structured e-invoice is the only invoice that is legally required. A PDF or a paper copy may be sent along with it, but does not replace it.

What changes in 2026 is in E-invoicing in Belgium, and what a Peppol invoice contains and whether a PDF may still go with it is in Peppol invoice.

If you want the long version of how the network works, it is in What is Peppol and how does it work?.

Must you use Peppol?

Yes, if you have a VAT number and invoice a Belgian VAT-registered business, even if you are under the small-business VAT exemption. The obligation follows the VAT number, not whether your activity is a main job or a side job.

The FAQ on the B2B obligation itself says the obligation applies when you use the exemption. According to the news item of 7 April 2026, VAT payers under that exemption are in principle covered by the rules too. Who exactly falls under them, with the exceptions for, among others, transactions exempt under article 44 and the flat-rate scheme, is in Who must use Peppol.

Three things to remember, according to the same efactuur.belgium.be pages:

For outgoing invoices to a private person, to a client abroad or to a party without a VAT number, the obligation does not apply.
You must be able to receive structured e-invoices from your suppliers, even if you sell only to private persons.
Invoices to governments fall under separate rules, apart from this B2B obligation.

If your client cannot receive a structured invoice, then as the sender you may, according to the FAQ on the B2B obligation, choose another method of transmission, and an invoice sent that way is legally valid. Electronically, that takes an agreement with your client on a secure alternative.

If you do not have the technical means to issue and receive structured invoices, you risk, according to the FAQ Specifieke vragen over e-facturering (specific questions on e-invoicing), a fine of €1,500 for a first offence, €3,000 for a second and €5,000 for each one after that.

Both tolerance periods are over: the general one covered the first three months of 2026, as the news item of 18 December 2025 announced, and according to the news item of 7 April 2026 the targeted tolerance for self-billing ran up to and including 30 June 2026. After that, according to the same news item, the FOD can still decide in exceptional circumstances not to impose a fine.

What the tolerance period meant in practice and what applies now is in Peppol: postponement and tolerance period.

How do you connect to Peppol?

You cannot register on Peppol directly: you connect through an approved Peppol service provider, usually the software you invoice with, and your Peppol ID, the number that identifies you on the network, is in Belgium at least your company number. The same FAQ on Peppol says so, and according to the same FAQ the service providers are contractually obliged to do this. Some software lets you choose an access point yourself.

If you want to know whether a client or supplier is on the network, the FAQ points to Lookup Peppol, OpenPeppol’s search tool. You search by name or by company number. The tool shows whether a party can receive, not whether it can also send documents through the network.

Connecting is not the same as choosing software. You do the steps themselves with your provider, and Registering on Peppol shows them. What an access point is and how to choose one is in Peppol access point. What it costs is the next part.

What does Peppol cost?

The government offers no free tool of its own for B2B invoices. According to efactuur.belgium.be, the cost of meeting the obligation can be zero euros if it is part of the base price of something else you choose, such as your bookkeeping or bank account; otherwise the price depends on the provider. That is what the list of solutions on efactuur.belgium.be of 23 May 2025 says.

The efactuur.belgium.be list says the government deliberately chose a decentralised, market-driven approach. A place on that list is not a certification by the FOD Financiën / SPF Finances (the federal tax administration). So ask your provider beforehand what the Peppol connection costs. The free routes and the prices in detail are in Peppol invoicing and free options.

BravoLisa makes PDF invoices for private persons and clients abroad and sends or receives nothing through Peppol; for a client who is a Belgian VAT payer, you need another Peppol solution.

If you have a VAT number and your client is a Belgian VAT payer, you connect to Peppol through an access point.

Frequently asked questions

What is Peppol?

Peppol is an open network with shared rules through which businesses send and receive structured invoices. You connect through a Peppol service provider, also called an access point, usually inside the software you invoice with. In most cases an e-invoice arrives within a few minutes to a few hours, according to efactuur.belgium.be.

Is Peppol mandatory for a self-employed person with a VAT number?

Yes, if you have a VAT number and invoice a Belgian VAT-registered business. Since 1 January 2026 the invoice between you is a structured e-invoice, and a PDF by email is no longer enough. The obligation follows the VAT number, not a main or side job. You must also be able to receive e-invoices from your suppliers.

Must I use Peppol under the small-business VAT exemption?

Yes. According to efactuur.belgium.be the obligation applies when you use the small-business VAT exemption too, and according to its news item of 7 April 2026 those VAT payers are in principle covered by the rules. If you invoice only private clients, you need not send anything structured, but you must be able to receive e-invoices.

How do I register on Peppol?

You cannot register on Peppol directly. You do it through an approved Peppol service provider, usually the software you invoice with, and some software lets you choose an access point yourself. In Belgium your Peppol ID is at least your company number. With Lookup Peppol you can see whether a client or supplier can receive.

Is there a free government Peppol tool?

No. According to efactuur.belgium.be the government deliberately chose a decentralised, market-driven approach and offers no free tool of its own for B2B invoices. The cost of meeting the obligation can still be zero euros when it is part of the base price of something else, such as your bookkeeping or bank account.

A rule you don’t know keeps nagging at you. Connect once through your provider, and you can turn back to your clients.
💜💙 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.

Last updated: October 2026. Amounts and thresholds can change: always check them with the RSVZ / INASTI, the FOD Financiën / SPF Finances or your social insurance fund.

Sources (8)

Verified on 12 October 2026