Peppol started as a European project to standardise e-invoicing between public authorities and their suppliers. The network is also used outside Europe: organisations on several continents exchange e-invoices and other business documents under the same agreements. For any company that trades internationally, this has one practical benefit: you connect once and can then exchange documents with connected trading partners in other countries.
This page covers Peppol’s worldwide reach. If you first want to know how the network works at its core, 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 one Peppol Serviceprovider, which handles the technical link to the network.
Findable in the network
Your organisation is registered with a Peppol identifier, so other participants can find you, wherever they are based.
Exchange without separate integrations
Every other participant in the network can reach you, and you can reach them, whichever Peppol Serviceprovider or country they connect through.
Shared standards
Documents follow agreed formats. Where a country has extra requirements, it sets them out in a local variant (CIUS) on top of the common base.
The role of regions
Europe led the way. Several European governments first required that they be able to receive e-invoices from their suppliers through Peppol (B2G). This gave the network a solid base. Other regions followed, in most cases through a local Peppol authority that manages the network in that country or region, or through national legislation that names Peppol as a route for e-invoicing.
Each Peppol authority supervises the participants in its own area and can add local additions to the standards. Read more on What is a Peppol Authority.
Which countries require e-invoicing, and for which transactions, differs by country and changes as new legislation is adopted. See the Obligations per country page (coming soon) for current mandates.
Benefits for international business
Lower transaction costs
Faster market entry
Compliance built in
Better customer relationships
Stronger position
Scalable growth
Invoicing customers in multiple countries
Do you invoice customers in more than one country? Then your choice of Peppol Serviceprovider matters more than if you only invoice at home. Check the following:
Coverage in your markets
Make sure the provider supports sending to and receiving from the countries where your customers are based.
Knowledge of local requirements
Countries can have their own variants (CIUS) and extra rules. A good provider checks your invoices against the rules of the destination country.
One connection for all countries
Choose one connection for all your markets rather than separate integrations per country or per customer.
Fit with your accounting or ERP system
Check that the provider works well with the software you already use, including for multiple currencies and VAT situations.
Receiving as well as sending
Foreign suppliers will want to invoice you through Peppol too. Check that the provider also handles incoming documents properly.
Support when rules change
Rules change country by country. Ask how the provider tells you about new requirements and how it handles them.
Want to compare providers with international coverage side by side? Use the Peppol comparison tool to compare providers on the countries they support.
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 makes it easier for foreign bidders to take part. The invoicing process does not need to be changed for each supplier.
For software vendors
Do your customers have trading partners or offices in other countries? Then they expect your software to send and receive e-invoices through Peppol, across borders as well. An integration with a Peppol Serviceprovider 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.
In conclusion
To see which countries require e-invoicing, visit the Obligations per country page (coming soon). What is changing at European level is covered on the ViDA explained page. Looking for a Peppol Serviceprovider that supports your international trade? The comparison tool on peppol.nu shows which providers cover the countries you do business in.
