C1Originator
Sender
The business issuing the invoice (or order, credit note, catalogue). Connects to its own Access Point via API, file upload, ERP plugin, or web portal — no Peppol-level constraints on this connection.
Pan-European · 35+ countriesCertified Access Point
The Peppol Network. One protocol. Infinite reach.
Peppol is the global infrastructure for B2G and B2B document exchange — a 4-corner network connecting 35+ countries through certified Access Points. UBL 2.1, EN 16931 native, AS4 transport. Flowie is a certified Access Point — your single connection to every Peppol participant on Earth.
35+
Peppol Authorities
National regulators governing Peppol participation in their jurisdiction.
180+
Access Points
Certified service providers (SPs) routing documents through the network.
70M+
Documents/year
Invoices, credit notes, orders flowing through Peppol globally (latest OpenPeppol estimate).
UBL 2.1
Native format
Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 — fully EN 16931 compliant.
The network
From an EU procurement project to global e-invoicing infrastructure.
Peppol — originally Pan-European Public Procurement OnLine — launched in 2008 as an EU-funded research project to standardize cross-border B2G procurement. The premise: instead of every European government building bespoke connections to every supplier, build one open network everyone can connect to.
In 2012, the project transitioned to a non-profit governance structure: OpenPeppol AISBL, headquartered in Brussels. Membership opened beyond EU institutions. The framework went global. Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, Japan, Malaysia all adopted Peppol-based national infrastructure between 2019 and 2024.
Today Peppol is the de facto global standard for B2G e-invoicing and the dominant emerging standard for B2B. 35+ Peppol Authorities. 180+ certified Access Points. ~70 million documents flowing through the network annually. The infrastructure underpinning Belgium's 2026 B2B mandate, Slovenia's 2026 mandate, France's PA bridge, Singapore's InvoiceNow.
Architecture
The 4-corner model.
Every Peppol document flows through four corners. C1 issues. C2 transmits. C3 receives. C4 consumes. The network does the routing.
C1
C1 — Sender
Originator
The business issuing the invoice (or order, credit note, catalogue). Connects to its own Access Point via API, file upload, ERP plugin, or web portal — no Peppol-level constraints on this connection.
Owned by:Issuing business (your company)
C2Outbound gateway
Sender's Access Point
Certified service provider that receives the document from C1, validates it against Peppol BIS specifications, wraps it in SBDH envelope, signs it, and transmits it via AS4 to C3. Performs SMP lookup to find C3 for the receiving participant.
C3Inbound gateway
Receiver's Access Point
Certified service provider that receives the AS4 message from C2, validates the SBDH header, verifies the signature, validates payload conformance, and delivers to C4. Sends MDN (Message Delivery Notification) back to C2.
C4End recipient
Receiver
The business receiving the document. Picks up from C3 via API, file download, ERP integration. C4 may be a buyer, a tax authority (in B2G), or another platform.
Click each corner above to read its role in detail. C2↔C3 is the Peppol-specific leg (AS4); the rest can use any technology.
Under the hood
Six components run the entire network.
Peppol is deceptively simple. Six standardized components — every Access Point implements them, every document moves through them.
SML
Service Metadata Locator
DNS-based root that maps participant identifiers to their SMP. Single global root managed by EU DG-DIGIT (edelivery.tech.ec.europa.eu) — every Peppol identifier resolves through it.
Operated by European Commission DG-DIGIT under OpenPeppol governance.
SMP
Service Metadata Publisher
Per-Access-Point service describing which participants the AP serves, what document types each can receive (Peppol BIS Billing 3.0, OrderResponse, etc.), and the AP's AS4 endpoint URL.
Operated by each certified Service Provider.
AS4
Applicability Statement 4
Web service protocol for B2B document exchange. Based on ebMS 3.0 over SOAP with WS-Security signing. Provides reliable messaging, MDN acknowledgements, message-level encryption, and non-repudiation. ENTSOG-aligned profile.
ISO/IEC standard — implemented by every C2/C3 Access Point.
SBDH
Standard Business Document Header
Envelope wrapping the payload (UBL invoice, etc.) with routing metadata: sender ID, receiver ID, document identifier, process identifier. Lets C3 route to C4 without parsing the payload.
OASIS-standardized — required by Peppol specification.
Identifier
Participant Identifier
Unique code identifying each business in the network. Format: scheme + value (e.g., 0192:NO999888777 for Norwegian organization number). 80+ supported schemes covering VAT IDs, GLN, DUNS, national registries.
Issued by national authorities or chambers; registered in SMP.
PA
Peppol Authority
National or multinational body certifying SPs in its jurisdiction, enforcing Peppol policies, and operating local Peppol services. 35+ active globally — each Member State or country region typically has one.
Government authorities, tax administrations, or designated industry bodies.
Spec
Peppol BIS Billing 3.0.
The flagship Peppol invoice specification. Three things layered on top of UBL 2.1, all of which align with EN 16931.
UBL 2.1
Universal Business Language
ISO/IEC 19845 — open XML standard for business documents. Maintained by OASIS. Used by Peppol BIS, France PA, Belgium B2B, Slovenia, Singapore InvoiceNow, Australia/NZ Peppol, and many more. The industry standard for structured invoices.
EN 16931
European Standard
European Norm 16931 (CEN) — defines the semantic data model for an electronic invoice. Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 is a CIUS (Core Invoice Usage Specification) of EN 16931 — fully compliant by construction. ViDA mandates EN 16931, so Peppol BIS is ViDA-ready.
SBDH
Peppol envelope
Standard Business Document Header (OASIS) — wraps the UBL payload with routing metadata: sender ID, receiver ID, document type, process ID. Lets receiving Access Points route to C4 without parsing the payload. Peppol-specific.
Composition: SBDH(envelope) + UBL 2.1(payload) + Peppol CIUS(rules) = a Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 invoice. Validated by every C2 before transmission and every C3 on receipt.
Beyond invoices
Documents Peppol carries.
The network is not invoice-only. Six BIS document types cover the full procure-to-pay lifecycle.
Peppol BIS Billing 3.0
Invoice
Commercial or VAT invoice. UBL 2.1 + EN 16931 compliant. The flagship Peppol document — what 95% of network volume is.
Adoption
Mandatory for most B2G in EU; growing adoption B2B.
Peppol BIS Billing 3.0
Credit Note
Credit note adjusting a previously issued invoice. Same BIS spec, links to original invoice via reference.
Adoption
Required alongside invoice in regulated regimes.
Peppol BIS OrderOnly 3.0
Order
Purchase order from buyer to seller. Triggers procure-to-pay flows in connected platforms.
Adoption
B2G procurement (NL, NO mandatory); B2B optional.
Peppol BIS OrderResponse 3.0
Order Response
Seller's response to a purchase order — accepted, partially accepted, rejected, with line-level details.
Adoption
Closes the order loop; growing adoption with intake-to-pay platforms.
Peppol BIS DespatchAdvice 3.0
Despatch Advice
Notification of goods dispatch from seller to buyer. Supports goods receipt automation.
Adoption
Manufacturing, logistics-heavy industries.
Peppol BIS Catalogue 3.0
Catalogue
Product catalog from seller, used for guided buying / punchout-equivalent flows.
Adoption
Strategic procurement, marketplace integrations.
Global reach
35+ countries. Four regions.
Peppol coverage by region. Each country has a designated Peppol Authority governing local participation, certification, and compliance.
Nordic & Western Europe
🇳🇴Norway
LiveB2G mandatory since 2012
🇸🇪Sweden
LiveB2G mandatory since 2019
🇩🇰Denmark
LiveB2G mandatory since 2005 (NemHandel + Peppol bridge)
🇫🇮Finland
LiveB2G mandatory; voluntary B2B widespread
🇮🇸Iceland
LiveB2G mandatory
🇳🇱Netherlands
LiveB2G mandatory (ApS-aware via Peppol)
EU Western & Southern
🇧🇪Belgium
2026B2B mandatory January 1, 2026 — Peppol-based
🇫🇷France
2026B2B mandatory September 2026 — Peppol bridge via PA model
🇮🇹Italy
LiveFatturaPA via SDI; Peppol bridge for cross-border
🇩🇪Germany
LiveB2B receipt mandatory since Jan 2025 (XRechnung + Peppol). Issue mandatory 2027 (large) → 2028 (all).
🇪🇸Spain
LiveVerifactu live since Jul 2025; Crea y Crece B2B mandate phasing in 2025-2027.
🇵🇹Portugal
LiveB2G via Peppol; voluntary B2B
🇮🇪Ireland
LiveB2G via Peppol; planning B2B
🇱🇺Luxembourg
LiveB2G mandatory
EU Central & Eastern
🇵🇱Poland
2026KSeF mandatory Feb/Apr 2026 — Peppol bridges
🇷🇴Romania
Livee-Factura mandatory; Peppol pilots
🇬🇷Greece
LivemyDATA + Peppol pilots
🇸🇮Slovenia
2026B2B mandatory January 1, 2026 — EN 16931 + Peppol
🇪🇪Estonia
LiveB2G mandatory via Peppol
🇱🇹Lithuania
LiveB2G via Peppol
🇱🇻Latvia
LiveB2G via Peppol
Non-EU
🇦🇺Australia
LiveB2G via PEPPOL eInvoicing Network (since 2019)
🇸🇬Singapore
LiveInvoiceNow (Peppol-based) since 2019; B2B mandatory phased 2025-2027
🇳🇿New Zealand
LiveB2G via Australia/NZ Peppol Authority
🇲🇾Malaysia
LiveLHDN CTC clearance live (Peppol-aligned). Phased mandate completed 2024-2025.
🇯🇵Japan
LiveJ-PINT (Peppol International Japan profile) live since 2023.
🇬🇧United Kingdom
LiveNHS mandatory via Peppol; voluntary B2B. HMRC e-invoicing consultation closed 2024 — policy direction pending.
🇺🇸United States
PilotBusiness Payments Coalition (BPC USA) Peppol Authority — ongoing pilots, no federal mandate.
🇨🇦Canada
PilotPA approved 2023; pilots underway
Sources: OpenPeppol Member Directory · National Peppol Authority publications · Conformance reports as of 2026-Q2.
Going global
PINT — Peppol International.
Peppol BIS was originally designed for European invoicing semantics — VAT, EN 16931 fields, EU member state codes. As Peppol expanded to Australia, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, and beyond, a localization framework was needed.
PINT (Peppol International) is the answer: country-specific profile extensions on top of UBL 2.1 that capture local tax codes, ID schemes, and regulatory fields. Each country has its own PINT profile — A-NZ PINT (Australia/New Zealand, the original non-EU profile), J-PINT (Japan, 2023), MY-PINT (Malaysia, 2024), SG-PINT (Singapore InvoiceNow).
Flowie's connector handles all PINT variants automatically. Issue an invoice once — it's serialized to the correct PINT profile for the recipient's country. No parallel implementations per region.
A-NZ
Australia / NZ
Live · since 2019
SG
Singapore
Live · since 2019
J-PINT
Japan
Live · since 2023
MY-PINT
Malaysia
Live · since 2024
BPC USA
United States
Pilot
Flowie × Peppol
Certified Access Point. Single connection. Global reach.
Flowie operates as a certified Peppol Service Provider — your C2 if you're sending, your C3 if you're receiving. One connection to Flowie covers the entire Peppol network: 35+ countries, 180+ Access Points, 6 document types.
Automatic SMP/SML lookup
Enter the recipient's VAT ID. Flowie discovers their Access Point, document capabilities, AS4 endpoint. No manual partner setup.
Format conversion at the boundary
Send your invoice in any format Flowie understands (your ERP's, JSON, Factur-X, UBL). It exits your network as Peppol BIS 3.0 UBL 2.1 — perfectly conformant.
All 6 BIS document types
Invoice, CreditNote, Order, OrderResponse, DespatchAdvice, Catalogue — all supported. Run end-to-end procure-to-pay or order-to-cash through Peppol.
PINT support out of the box
Sending to Singapore? Auto-converts to SG-PINT. To Japan? J-PINT. Australia? A-NZ. Receiving any of these? Flowie normalizes back to your internal format.
AS4 transport managed
TLS, message signing, MDN handling, retry logic — all abstracted. You don't manage certificates or worry about ebMS conformance. We do.
Bridges to non-Peppol partners
Buyer not on Peppol? Flowie auto-routes via email, portal upload, AS2, SFTP, EDIFACT, or whatever the buyer accepts. Peppol-first, but not Peppol-only.
Asked & answered
Common Peppol questions.
Sources: OpenPeppol AISBL specifications · Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 spec · OpenPeppol governance documents · National Peppol Authority publications · OASIS AS4 / SBDH standards.
One connection. Every Peppol participant on Earth.
Stop building bilateral integrations. Connect once to Flowie, and you're connected to every Peppol Access Point in 35+ countries — plus the bridges to non-Peppol partners. Onboarding takes hours, not months.
ISO 27001
GDPR
CyberVadis
PA Certified
Peppol