E-invoicing and Peppol explained

An e-invoice is more than a PDF sent by email. It is a structured, machine-readable file that your client's accounting system reads and processes automatically, with no retyping.

In the EU, e-invoices follow the European standard EN 16931, set out under Directive 2014/55/EU. It defines which details an invoice contains and how they are written, so any compliant system can understand it.

• Faster payment: your invoice lands straight in your client's system, ready for approval, instead of waiting in an inbox.
• Fewer errors: nobody retypes amounts or VAT numbers, so there is less back and forth.
• Ready for what is coming: public bodies across the EU must already accept e-invoices, and more and more countries require them between businesses too.

Every invoice you generate in Bagelog is created in the EN 16931 format alongside the PDF. You create and send invoices exactly as you do today. There is nothing to install or switch on.

You do not need to sign up for Peppol yourself. Bagelog registers your Peppol ID for you, or uses the one you already have if you are on Peppol through another provider.

Your client gets an invoice their system processes automatically, and you keep the PDF for your records.

Peppol is a secure network that businesses and public bodies across Europe use to exchange e-invoices. Think of it as a postal service for invoices: everyone on the network has a Peppol ID that works as their address, and invoices travel between access points that check them on the way.

When your client has a Peppol ID, Bagelog delivers the invoice to it directly, so it lands in their system instead of an inbox.

To deliver over Peppol, Bagelog needs your client's Peppol ID. Add it to their client details along with their tax ID, and every new invoice for them goes out over Peppol.

Not sure of the ID? Ask your client, whose accounting software or provider can look it up. If your client is not on Peppol yet, nothing changes for you. Bagelog emails them the invoice as usual.

Rules differ by country and are still evolving, so check with your accountant what applies to you.

• Belgium: since 1 January 2026, invoices between VAT-registered businesses in Belgium must be structured e-invoices, and Peppol is the main network for sending them.
• The Netherlands: suppliers to the central government must send e-invoices. Between businesses, e-invoicing is still voluntary and needs your client's agreement.
• Portugal: invoices to public bodies must be electronic. PDF invoices to the public sector are accepted until the end of 2026. From 2027, smaller suppliers must send structured e-invoices too.

Across the EU, the ViDA reform makes e-invoicing mandatory for cross-border sales between businesses from July 2030.