Peppol in mensentaal
A clear, non-technical overview of Peppol e-invoicing for Belgium. Discover how SendPol automatically makes your webshop Peppol-ready for 2026.
What is Peppol?
Peppol is an international network that allows businesses to exchange commercial documents securely and standardized—especially e-invoices. Instead of sending invoices via email, invoices go directly from your software to your customer's software through a secured 'access point'. This means invoices reach the accounting faster and error-free.
Technical process
Technically, invoicing in Peppol revolves around the 'Peppol BIS Billing 3.0' profile (an UBL-XML format), but that detail is managed by your software or your Access Point provider.
What is mandatory in Belgium?
All data and obligations apply to Belgium and are verified until 26 September 2025
B2B e-invoicing becomes mandatory from 1 January 2026
For invoices between VAT-liable businesses, you must send a structured electronic invoice (such as Peppol BIS). Sending an invoice via email as a PDF no longer counts as an e-invoice.
B2G (to government) is already mandatory
For orders published after 1 March 2024.
Royal Decree of 14 July 2025
Confirms Peppol/BIS as reference and establishes practical modalities (e.g. fines for non-readiness, and VAT rounding at tariff level instead of per line for e-invoices).
B2C does not fall under outgoing obligation
But businesses must be able to receive e-invoices.
What does this mean for a webshop?
Example: you sell online to businesses and individuals. You want to strictly set three things:
1Identify business vs. individual in checkout
Add a clear choice ("Business or individual?"). For business, ask for legally relevant data such as VAT number and legal name. (Tip: validate VAT numbers and store them in the customer profile.) This ensures you can automatically create a BIS 3.0 invoice after order/shipment.
2Automatically send via Peppol
SendPol makes this easy: our plugins for WordPress/WooCommerce, Shopify, and Drupal automatically detect B2B customers and send invoices via the Peppol network. No complex configuration, no technical knowledge required.
3Does the customer (yet) fall outside Peppol?
In practice, many businesses are already connected. Your provider can often automatically check if a recipient is reachable. As a last resort, you can temporarily agree with your customer for another (EN 16931-compliant) exchange—however, your own systems must be Peppol-ready, otherwise you risk fines.
Quick start checklist for webshops
Frequently asked short answers
Must every webshop use Peppol?
Only if you invoice B2B (VAT-liable). B2C does not fall under the outgoing obligation, but receiving-readiness remains required.
Can I still send a PDF email?
Yes, as a copy for the customer. But legally, a structured e-invoice must exist; a PDF alone is not compliant for B2B from 2026.
What if I do nothing?
The KB provides specific fines for non-readiness (increasing up to €5,000 upon repetition) and refers to Peppol/BIS as a reference.
Ready to make your webshop Peppol-ready?
SendPol helps your webshop automatically comply with the Peppol e-invoicing obligations. Simple integration, automatic B2B recognition, and direct sending via the Peppol network.