Peppol and e-invoicing, explained
More and more customers ask for an e-invoice via Peppol. A PDF by email is no longer enough. What exactly is Peppol, who has to use it and how do you set it up without hassle? Here it is, laid out.
What is Peppol?
Peppol is an international network that organisations use to exchange invoices and other business documents. The difference with a PDF: a Peppol invoice is structured data. The recipient’s software reads it in directly. Nobody has to retype amounts, so no mistakes creep in and the invoice is processed faster.
You connect through a Peppol access point. In practice your accounting software arranges that for you. Every participant has their own Peppol ID, for example based on the Chamber of Commerce number.
Who has to use it?
- Government suppliers. The Dutch government has asked its suppliers for e-invoices for years.
- Companies doing business in Belgium. There, e-invoicing via Peppol between companies has been mandatory since 1 January 2026.
- Soon everyone in Europe. Under the European ViDA rules, e-invoicing becomes the standard for cross-border trade from 2030. An obligation for invoices between companies is also being prepared in the Netherlands.
Even if it is not mandatory for you yet, it pays off: less manual work and getting paid faster.
How to set it up in Odoo
Odoo can send and receive invoices directly via Peppol. You register your organisation from Odoo, and incoming invoices go straight into your accounts. We set that up and host Odoo on our own European platform.
From practice: APELL
Membership organisation APELL had to meet the Peppol requirement. We brought e-invoicing and member management together in one Odoo environment. Within a few weeks APELL was fully Peppol compliant. Read the full story in our portfolio.
Checklist: getting started with Peppol
- Find out which customers ask for a Peppol invoice, now or soon.
- Check whether your accounting software supports Peppol.
- Register your Peppol ID.
- Send a test invoice to a customer and check that it arrives correctly.
Not sure your software can handle Peppol, or want to switch to Odoo? Take a look at our Odoo business software service or get in touch.