Paper invoices and one-off PDF connections do not scale with international obligations and growing trade chains. Peppol is the open, certified network through which organizations exchange e-invoices, orders and status messages securely and in a structured way: one connection, worldwide reach.
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Peppol uses a four-corner model: sender and recipient do not connect to each other directly, but via certified Access Points. You deliver one document; routing via SMP and SML handles the rest automatically.
Technical explanation in the docs
The sender delivers the document to its own Access Point.
The Access Point looks up via SML and SMP how the recipient can be reached technically.
The document is transferred encrypted between Access Points via the AS4 protocol.
The recipient gets the document directly in its own system.
Sender and recipient do not have to use the same Service Provider. That is the core of an open network: one connection is enough to reach all participants.
Peppol is often associated with e-invoicing, but the network supports a broader set of business documents: orders, despatch advices, catalogs and status messages. Software vendors connect that via the PSB REST API: native Peppol support without a separate integration per network.
View the all-in-one API
Certified gateways send, receive and validate documents toward the network.
The SML points to the recipient's SMP; that SMP contains the Access Point and the supported document types.
Transport between Access Points is encrypted via AS4 with TLS and PKI certificates from OpenPeppol.
Every participant has a unique address (for example KVK, VAT or OIN). On sending, the Access Point looks up the route automatically.
Under the hood, Access Points, the SML/SMP address book and the AS4 protocol work together. Addressing runs via a Peppol ID; the sender only needs to know the right identification number.
The processing cost of a paper invoice is many times higher than that of an e-invoice. No paper, no postage, no scanning, no manual entry.
E-invoices arrive directly in the recipient's processing flow. Automatic status messages show where your invoice stands.
Every participant is verified via a certified Access Point. Ghost invoices, CEO fraud and invoice manipulation are effectively blocked.
No paper, ink, envelopes or transport. At high volumes the environmental impact is substantial and physical archiving falls away.
The pain: paper and PDF invoices cost time at every step: printing, mail, scanning, retyping and follow-up. On top of that, e-invoicing and Peppol are becoming mandatory in more and more countries. The benefit: structured exchange via one network, with measurable savings and less fraud. You automatically reach recipients without a Peppol registration via hybrid processing.
Invoicing by email or post leaves room for interception and IBAN manipulation. Peppol rules that out: every participant is verified and all communication between Access Points is encrypted via AS4 with PKI certificates from OpenPeppol. OpenPeppol manages the framework; national Peppol Authorities (in the Netherlands: the NPa) supervise. Service Providers are certified, audited and must comply with ISO 27001.
Read more about governance
Peppol started as a European project and has grown into a worldwide network. As of March 2026 the network counts 23 Peppol Authorities, members in 46 countries and exchange in 65 countries. Belgium is B2B-mandatory from 1 January 2026; Germany and France follow in phases. Anyone who starts now is ready for the ViDA directive from 1 July 2030.
View obligations per country
Does the provider run on several redundant Access Points? What is the guaranteed uptime? If there is an outage, invoices do not arrive.
Invoices only, or also orders, credit notes, status messages and despatch advices? The broader the support, the more processes you digitize.
Is your accounting software already connected? Is there a REST API with documentation? Can you start for free via an invoice portal?
Is the provider prepared for the European ViDA directive? Does it support country-specific formats? Is it involved in developing the standard?
All certified Access Points can send and receive invoices, but under the hood the differences can be large. The right choice determines whether your connection scales with volume, countries and integrations.
One-off PDF connections and unproven Access Points give no certainty at growing volumes and obligations. eConnect has been the first certified Peppol Access Point in the Netherlands since 2013, co-founder of SimplerInvoicing (which has since grown into the Dutch Peppol Authority) and active in OpenPeppol. With connections to more than 100 software partners, its own OASIS-compliant SMP and the Dutch central government Access Point via Digipoort/Logius, eConnect is the party that masters Peppol end to end.
Software partners
Documents per year
Connected organizations
Want to know exactly how Peppol works technically, how you register or how you integrate? The documentation and API pages provide the depth.
Native Peppol support via the PSB REST API: one integration for all networks and formats.
The four-corner model, AS4, SML, SMP and PKI certificates in detail.
Register, switch from another provider and migration keys.
View Peppol documentation
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How KVK, with AFAS, supplier activation, and Peppol, reached 32.6% e-invoices in a few months and is further digitizing the finance process.
In several countries a mandate already applies to (parts of) B2B or B2G. Belgium is mandatory from 1 January 2026 for all B2B transactions via Peppol. Germany has had a receive obligation since 2025 and is phasing in mandatory sending through 2028. France starts in 2026/2027. The European ViDA directive makes cross-border B2B e-invoicing mandatory from 1 July 2030. The full overview per country is on the Obligations page.
Yes. Via standard connections or an API you integrate Peppol directly into your existing process. eConnect has connections with more than 100 accounting, ERP and finance packages. For packages without a native connection there are Autopilot (OAuth connection with cloud ERP), Email Receiver or the PSB REST API. If your software does not work with it yet, the free Invoice Portal is the fastest way to start.
An Access Point is the certified party that provides your technical connection to the Peppol network. It sends and receives documents via the AS4 protocol to other Access Points and validates format, business rules and country-specific additions. Sender and recipient do not have to use the same Access Point: that is the essence of an open network. Read more on the Peppol Access Point and Choose an Access Point pages.
The saving depends on your current processing process and invoice volume. The processing cost of a paper invoice is many times higher than that of an e-invoice. The difference is in every step: no paper, no postage, no scanning, no manual entry and no error correction. At a hundred invoices a month the structural saving is already noticeable; at larger volumes the effect grows quickly. In an introductory meeting eConnect can make an estimate based on your specific situation.
E-invoicing via Peppol is fundamentally more secure than invoicing by email or post. Every participant is verified via a certified Access Point and all communication is encrypted. With email it is relatively easy to intercept an invoice or change the IBAN; with Peppol that is not possible. eConnect also checks the IBAN, VAT number and KVK number automatically on every invoice and offers End User Identification (EUI) as an extra verification layer. Ghost invoices and CEO fraud are effectively prevented this way.
Every organization in the network has a Peppol ID, for example based on KVK, VAT number or OIN. On sending, the Access Point looks up automatically via SML and SMP which Access Point the recipient uses and which document types are supported. The sender only needs to know the right identification number; the technical route is determined automatically.
Schedule a no-obligation conversation about your situation, or start for free right away via the invoice portal.
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