Peppol started as a European project to standardise e-invoicing between public authorities and their suppliers. The network is now also used outside Europe: organisations on several continents exchange e-invoices and other business documents using the same agreements. For businesses that trade internationally, this brings one practical advantage: you connect once and can then exchange documents with connected trading partners in other countries.
This page is about the global reach of Peppol. Would you first like to know how the network works at a basic level? Then read What is Peppol?.
How the network works internationally
Peppol is not a central platform but a network with shared rules. Those rules are the same in every country:
One connection
You connect through a single service provider, which takes care of the technical connection to the network.
Findable in the network
Your organisation is registered with a Peppol ID, so that other participants can find you, wherever they are based.
Exchange without separate connections
Every other participant in the network can reach you, and you them, regardless of which service provider or country they are connected through, for the document types you are registered for.
Shared standards
Documents follow agreed formats. Where a country has additional requirements, it sets them out in a local variant (CIUS) on top of the common basis.
The role of regions
Europe led the way. A number of European governments first required that they be able to receive e-invoices from their suppliers via Peppol (B2G). This gave the network a solid foundation. Other regions joined later, usually through a local Peppol Authority that manages the network in that country or region, or through national legislation that designates Peppol as a route for e-invoicing.
Each Peppol Authority supervises the participants in its own area and can lay down local additions to the standards. You can read more about this in What is a Peppol Authority?.
Which countries make e-invoicing mandatory, and for which transactions, differs from country to country and changes with new legislation. Current mandates are listed on the page Mandatory e-invoicing: what applies to you?.
Where is Peppol used?
Peppol has its own Peppol Authority in 26 countries and regions. In Europe these are Belgium, Denmark, Germany, England (healthcare sector, NHS), Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Sweden. Outside Europe: Australia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates. Where there is no national authority, OpenPeppol itself acts as the authority. Source: OpenPeppol, Peppol Authorities.
Peppol is not the route everywhere
Even within Europe, the route differs per country. In Belgium, Peppol is the standard between businesses. In Italy, e-invoicing runs through the government platform SdI, in France through plateformes agréées (approved platforms), and in Germany any channel is permitted as long as the format complies with the European standard. In the Netherlands and Luxembourg, Peppol is mainly the route for invoicing the government. For international trade, a single Peppol connection is therefore often a large part of the solution, but not always the whole of it. See Mandatory e-invoicing: what applies to you?.
Benefits for doing business internationally
Lower transaction costs
Faster market entry
Built-in compliance
Better customer relationships
Stronger position
Scalable growth
Invoicing customers in several countries
Do you invoice customers in more than one country? Then your choice of service provider matters more than when you only invoice domestically. Consider the following when making that choice:
Coverage in your sales markets
Check whether the provider supports sending to and receiving from the countries where your customers are based.
Knowledge of local requirements
Countries may have their own variants (CIUS) and additional rules. A good provider validates your invoices against the rules of the destination country.
One connection for all countries
Opt for one connection for all your markets rather than separate integrations per country or per customer.
Connection to your accounting or ERP system
Check whether the provider works well with the software you already use, including for multiple currencies and VAT situations.
Receiving and sending
Foreign suppliers will also want to invoice you via Peppol. Check whether the provider handles the incoming side properly as well.
Support with changes
Rules change from country to country. Ask how the provider keeps you informed about new requirements and how it implements them.
Would you like to compare providers with international coverage side by side? Filter the comparison tool by coverage area to find providers that cover your sales markets.
View the comparison toolFor public sector organisations
Because Peppol is used in many countries, public sector organisations can receive e-invoices from foreign suppliers through the same route as from domestic ones. In international tenders, this lowers the barrier for foreign bidders. The invoicing process does not need to be adapted for each supplier.
For software vendors
Do your customers have buyers or branches in other countries? Then they expect your software to be able to send and receive e-invoices via Peppol, including across borders. An integration with a service provider that supports multiple countries and local variants makes your software usable for international customers, without you having to build a separate solution for each country.
Finally
You can find out which countries make e-invoicing mandatory on the page Mandatory e-invoicing: what applies to you?. What is changing at European level is explained on the page ViDA explained. Looking for a service provider that supports your international trade? In the comparison tool on Peppol.now you can filter by coverage area to find providers that cover the countries where you do business.
