What is Peppol
Peppol is an international network for sending business documents securely, such as invoices, credit notes and orders. It works like a postal service for accounting software: your software delivers an invoice, and it lands straight in your customer's software. No PDF, no email and no retyping.
All participants speak the same language. An invoice is an XML file in the UBL format, following PEPPOL BIS Billing 3.0 and the European standard EN 16931. That is why every connected system can read every invoice, even one from another country. Peppol is now used in dozens of countries, in Europe and beyond.
Who owns Peppol
Peppol belongs to no one in particular, and therefore to everyone. The network is managed by OpenPeppol, an international nonprofit association based in Brussels. OpenPeppol sets the technical rules, and its members, such as governments and software companies, have a say.
In each country a Peppol authority supervises. In the Netherlands this is the Dutch Peppol Authority (NPa), which falls under the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. The NPa makes sure service providers stick to the rules. In Belgium, FPS BOSA does this.
So there is no company that owns the network or sells subscriptions to it. You only pay for the service of your own service provider.
What happens on the network
Peppol uses what is known as the four corner model. Sender and receiver never talk to each other directly, but each through their own access point. That way you only need an agreement with your own provider and still reach everyone on the network.
- Your accounting software or application creates the invoice as a UBL file and hands it to your access point.
- Your access point looks up your customer's Peppol ID in the central address book (the SML). That points to a second address book (the SMP), which says which access point your customer uses and which documents they can receive.
- The invoice travels encrypted and digitally signed to your customer's access point. Nobody can read or change it on the way.
- Your customer's access point checks the invoice and delivers it to their accounting software. You receive confirmation that it was delivered.
What is an access point
Peppol is a closed network. You cannot just put something on it yourself: that goes through an access point, a gateway run by a certified service provider. That provider has an agreement with the Peppol authority, has been tested and uses certificates that make every message traceable.
Often you hardly notice it. Many accounting packages have an access point built in or work with a provider. If you build your own software, you sign a contract with a provider and send your invoices to its API.
What is a Peppol ID
A Peppol ID is your address on the network. It consists of a scheme code that says what kind of number it is, followed by the number itself. With that ID others can find you and send you invoices.
| Scheme | Number | Used by | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0106 | KvK number | Dutch companies | 0106:12345678 |
| 0190 | OIN | Dutch government bodies | 0190:00000001234567890000 |
| 9944 | VAT number | Netherlands, as an alternative | 9944:NL123456789B01 |
| 0208 | Enterprise number (KBO) | Belgian companies | 0208:0123456789 |
Dutch companies usually use their KvK number, so customers can find them easily. Whether someone is already on Peppol, you can see in the public Peppol Directory.
How do you get a Peppol ID
You do not apply for a Peppol ID separately with an authority. Your service provider registers it for you when you connect. You already have the number: your KvK number or enterprise number.
- Choose a service provider, or check whether your accounting software already supports Peppol.
- The provider checks who you are and registers your Peppol ID in its SMP and in the central SML.
- From then on you can be found and you can receive and send invoices.
Note: a Peppol ID can only be registered with one provider at a time. If you switch, your old provider transfers or removes your registration.
Who benefits
Business owners
Invoices arrive faster and without errors, so you get paid sooner. No more PDF attachments ending up in spam.
Accountants and bookkeeping
Purchase invoices come in as data instead of images. No more retyping or scanning.
Governments
The Dutch government has received invoices through Peppol for years, and most of its invoices now arrive electronically.
Software vendors
One connection to an access point and your customers reach everyone on the network, at home and abroad.
And it is increasingly mandatory. In Belgium, companies have had to invoice each other electronically since 1 January 2026, and the Dutch government wants the same for invoices between businesses from 1 July 2030.
Where this package fits
darvis/ubl-peppol sits in the first corner: it turns your invoice data into a UBL file the rest of the network accepts, and checks it before you send it. In Laravel it also forwards the invoice to your access point. The package itself is not an access point; for that you always need a service provider.