Peppol API for Belgium

Who needs structured invoices?

Since 1 January 2026, Belgian VAT-taxable businesses generally must send and receive structured e-invoices for transactions with other Belgian VAT-taxable businesses. A PDF sent by email does not meet this B2B requirement. Belgium’s usual exchange route is Peppol, the network for exchanging structured documents, using Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 (based on EN 16931). The parties can agree to another EN 16931-compliant format; do not assume this guide supports that alternative.

The B2B rule does not apply to invoices sent to private consumers. A business that sells only to consumers may still need to receive structured invoices from Belgian suppliers. A Belgian VAT number alone does not bring a business with no Belgian establishment into scope. Businesses doing only activities exempt under Article 44 of the VAT Code are generally exempt; other exceptions and B2G rules differ. Check the Belgian government’s scope and exceptions for your situation. The government’s mandate overview confirms the start date and PDF restriction.

Send a Belgian invoice

1. Onboard the Belgian company and confirm the Peppol participant details for both trading parties.
2. Prepare a GETS invoice using the Belgium fields and validation rules. GETS is the invoice format you send to the API; you do not need to compose Peppol XML yourself.
3. Use the Belgium request example to submit in sandbox. A successful submission validates and stores the document; it does not mean the buyer has received it. Follow the document’s delivery status.
4. When your sandbox results are correct, follow the Belgium go-live checklist.

If something goes wrong

• If submission returns 422, correct the named field in the response and retry. See Belgium validation rules.
• If the buyer cannot receive the invoice, verify their Peppol participant ID and scheme with them and check the document’s delivery status. Passing validation does not confirm delivery.

Next, onboard the company.