Choosing a Peppol service provider isn’t just a technical decision. It will affect how your company receives and sends e-invoices, how you import them into your accounting system, and how much manual work will remain in your processes.
The right solution will help you manage your e-invoice obligations while also creating a solid foundation for reviewing, approving, and automating invoices.
What Is an e-Invoice, and why Is a PDF not enough?
A PDF invoice may be sent by email and be digital, but it is not, in and of itself, an e-invoice in the structured sense. A PDF is a document intended primarily for human reading. Systems cannot reliably and automatically extract all the data from it without further processing.
E-invoices use structured data. Billing information is recorded in an agreed-upon format so that systems can automatically read, verify, and forward it. This is precisely why the Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 standard is so important for e-invoicing.
Terms and Concepts Worth Knowing
When preparing for e-invoicing, you will often come across the terms EN 16931, UBL, Peppol, and BIS 3. EN 16931 is a European standard that defines the basic rules for electronic invoicing. UBL is one of the technical formats in which data is recorded. Peppol is a network and a set of rules for the secure exchange of documents between businesses and government agencies.
Peppol BIS 3 is a practical invoice format used in this network. Just because your system generates PDFs doesn’t mean it can prepare an invoice in the BIS 3 format. This is one of the first things you should check when selecting a solution.
What is a Peppol Access Point?
Peppol Access Point is a certified service provider that facilitates the exchange of e-invoices via the Peppol network. For businesses , it serves as a secure gateway through which they can receive or send documents in the required format.
You should choose a provider based on how you currently handle invoices and where you want to go from here. If you have more complex processes, it’s important that incoming invoices don’t just end up in a separate inbox, but that your accounting and approval processes can follow up on them. A company selects a certified provider through the Financial Administration portal.
Can I have more than one certified providers?
Yes. Your accounting system may already have a built-in Peppol access point. However, that doesn’t mean you have to use it for incoming invoices. Here, you can look for a solution that fits better into your processes and gives you more control over them.
Since you can have only one certified provider for receiving e-invoices, all your invoices are in one place. Your team and your external accountant work with the same data, see the current status of invoices, and can participate in their approval if they have the appropriate roles. This makes the process more transparent, simpler, and ready for automation—from receipt all the way through posting.
What options can you choose from?
The right certified service provider should match your current technical capabilities. If you only receive invoices and don’t need to integrate with your own system, Peppol Box— which we provide for free— is a good place to start . You work in a web interface similar to an email inbox, and all your received e-invoices are in one place.
If you want to receive and send invoices via the web interface without custom integration, you can choose the non-integrated solution. It’s ideal for companies that don’t want to wait for their accounting system to be modified but need to manage e-invoices directly in the web application.
For companies with a system that needs to be connected directly, a solution with API integration is available. This approach enables the automatic transfer of data between the Peppol, the accounting system, and other business tools.
What if your system can’t generate BIS 3?
Not every accounting system can generate an invoice in the Peppol BIS 3 format. If you work with PDF, ISDOC, or another data format, the solution may be to convert your invoices to the BIS 3 format using Flowis. The necessary data is extracted from the source document, correctly mapped, and the invoice is prepared in the structured format required for electronic delivery.
Can I test the system and the Peppol Access Point?
Yes, most Peppol service providers offer the option to test e-invoicing. If you want to verify the API connection or consult on the appropriate procedure, you can start in the test network. Testing does not obligate you to anything—simply request access to the test version.
Why Peppol access point Flowis?
The Peppol Access Point Flowis offers features for both small and large businesses: easy invoice receipt, a web interface, API integration, and invoice conversion. One advantage is its integration with the Flowis system, which specializes in automating the invoice processing workflow —from receipt and approval to posting in the accounting system.
So it’s not just about delivering e-invoices. It’s about the entire accounting process, which you’ll be able to simplify for your team.
