PEPPOL
Peppol is a global framework for securely exchanging electronic business documents between companies and public-sector organisations. It provides common standards for documents such as e-invoices, orders, credit notes and other procurement documents, allowing different accounting and ERP systems to communicate with each other. Peppol is governed by OpenPeppol, a non-profit international association.
How Peppol Works
Peppol uses a four-corner model. The sender and receiver each connect to their own Peppol Service Provider, also called an Access Point. The Access Points communicate through the Peppol Network and securely deliver the document to the correct recipient.
Typical flow:
Sender → Sender Access Point → Receiver Access Point → Receiver
This means a company normally needs only one Peppol connection to exchange documents with other organisations connected to the network.
Peppol Access Point
A Peppol Access Point is a certified service used to send and receive documents through the Peppol Network. Access Points validate and securely exchange documents according to Peppol requirements.
The receiving organisation's address and supported document types are discovered using Peppol's addressing and capability services, including the SML (Service Metadata Locator) and SMP (Service Metadata Publisher).
Peppol BIS
Peppol BIS (Business Interoperability Specifications) defines how business documents and processes should be structured and exchanged.
Common Peppol documents include:
- Electronic invoices
- Credit notes
- Purchase orders
- Order responses
- Despatch advice
- Other procurement and business documents
For European electronic invoicing, Peppol invoice specifications are aligned with the EN 16931 European e-invoicing standard.
Secure Document Exchange
Peppol uses standardised network specifications and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to support trusted communication between certified service providers. Modern Peppol Access Point implementations use AS4 for electronic document transport.
Key Benefits of Peppol
- One connection to reach many Peppol-connected organisations
- Standardised electronic document formats
- Secure business document exchange
- Supports domestic and cross-border transactions
- Reduces manual invoice and order processing
- Works with ERP, accounting and procurement systems
- Supports both business and public-sector transactions
