Peppol ID: how to register on the network and send your first invoice

Since 1 January 2026, an invoice between two Belgian companies can no longer be just a PDF in an email. It has to move in a structured form, over the Peppol network. Most business owners have the date noted. What it actually means to 'be on Peppol' is far less clear — and that is usually where the questions start.

So what is a Peppol ID?

Peppol works a lot like a telephone network. For an invoice to reach the right recipient, every company has a unique identifier: its Peppol ID. The Belgian tax authority uses the phone analogy itself — the ID 'works like a telephone number in a telecommunications network'.

In Belgium that identifier is based on your company number in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE/KBO), through the technical scheme 0208. In other words, your CBE number becomes your address on the network. Nothing to invent: the number already printed on your official documents is the basis.

You don't register on your own

Here's the part that surprises people: you don't connect to Peppol directly. The authorities are explicit about it — a business cannot join the network by itself. You go through an approved service provider, the Access Point, usually built into invoicing software.

That Access Point registers you, assigns your Peppol ID and handles the secure transport of documents. With Voilo, registration runs through a certified Peppol Access Point: it's free, the Peppol ID is assigned automatically, and receiving invoices stays unlimited and free, even on the free plan. You never touch the XML or any network settings.

Check whether your client is reachable

Before you send, it's worth confirming that your recipient can actually receive documents on the network. The public Lookup Peppol directory lets you search a company by name or by number. To search by CBE number, you combine the scheme and the number, for example 0208:0123456789. If the company shows up, it's reachable. One caveat: the directory shows who can receive, not necessarily who can send.

Sending your first structured invoice

In practice, you create your invoice the way you always have. The software does the rest: the invoice is converted to the structured UBL 2.1 format (the Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 standard, aligned with the European norm EN 16931), validated to avoid a rejection, then delivered to your client's system. A readable PDF version stays available for your records. The other way round, your suppliers' invoices land straight in your account, with no re-keying. For a step-by-step walkthrough, our Peppol guide covers each stage.

Who has to register — and who doesn't

Since 1 January 2026 the obligation covers all Belgian VAT-liable companies for transactions with each other (B2B). A few useful clarifications from the official texts:

• The small-business exemption scheme (annual turnover up to €25,000) does not let you off the hook: you are concerned.
• VAT-liable persons not established in Belgium, with no permanent establishment, are not subject to the obligation, even if they are identified for VAT here.
• Invoices to private individuals (B2C) are not covered. But note: even if you only invoice individuals, you still need to be able to receive structured invoices from your suppliers.

For your exact situation, the Belgian tax authority remains the reference. On the tooling side, registration and sending are already included in every plan: you can compare the options on our pricing page and start on the free plan to test receiving without paying anything.