Between Belgian businesses, a PDF invoice sent by email is no longer enough. Since 2026, Peppol invoicing has become the norm for B2B exchanges between VAT-registered companies, with structured documents that the customer's software reads directly. At Espero-Soft, we have built sending and receiving into our platform through Dokapi, a certified Access Point operated in Belgium. Here is what it changes for your business, and how to switch it on.
What Peppol invoicing changes in practice
The network is far more than an email channel with an attachment. It connects certified Access Points, and every participant holds an identifier, based in Belgium on its enterprise number (CBE). Documents travel in the structured UBL 2.1 format, signed and timestamped. As a result, your customer no longer retypes an attachment: they receive data that flows straight into their accounting software.
For many SMEs, this is the first time a standardised exchange protocol applies to them. The Belgian authorities also offer Hermes, a free platform to send or view invoices, handy for a handful of documents typed in by hand. For invoices addressed to public authorities, the Mercurius platform relies on the same network. However, a solution built into your management tool avoids double entry and automates follow-up.
Sending: a single checkbox
On every finalised sales invoice, a “Send via Peppol” button appears as soon as the customer shows up in the network directory. Behind that button, we generate compliant UBL and pass it to Dokapi, which routes it to the recipient's Access Point. The delivery receipt then attaches to the invoice. If the network is temporarily unavailable, our system retries automatically, with no action required from you.
Receiving: the real surprise
The most impressive part of Peppol invoicing lies in receiving. Every incoming document lands in Espero-Soft as a pre-filled purchase invoice: supplier matched through its enterprise number, VAT lines extracted, totals checked. All you have to do is approve it, or adjust it if you want to add details. No more retyping from a PDF, and no more amount errors.
An admin page to review and replay
We also shipped a dedicated page that lists every incoming document, its processing status and any errors. A “Replay” button restarts the ingestion of a document if something went wrong. Everything stays auditable and reproducible, which also makes life easier for your accountant.
Security and traceability of Peppol invoicing
Each incoming or outgoing document keeps:
- its unique identifier (UUID);
- the hash of the original UBL file;
- the sending and receiving timestamps;
- the signature of Dokapi's Access Point.
In the event of an audit, you can rebuild the history down to the minute. Think about archiving too: Belgian law requires you to keep your invoices for several years, in their original electronic format.
Why Dokapi?
Dokapi is a certified Access Point operated in Belgium. Two reasons guided our choice for our customers' Peppol invoicing. First, data sovereignty: documents never leave the European Union. Second, support availability: we have a technical contact for complex cases.
Prepare your business for Peppol invoicing
- Check your data: accurate enterprise numbers, addresses and bank details on your customer and supplier records.
- Tell your customers that your invoices will now arrive through the network.
- Adapt your internal processes: who approves purchase invoices, and how quickly?
- Talk to your accountant so that document intake lines up with their own software.
Common mistakes when you start
- Still emailing a PDF to a customer who can already receive invoices through the network.
- Leaving incomplete or incorrect enterprise numbers in your records, which makes identification fail.
- Forgetting to check that the directory lists your own company.
- Approving a received purchase invoice without checking the extracted VAT lines.
- Neglecting incoming documents: a document in error needs prompt action.
Activate Peppol invoicing on your account
Activation takes a few minutes. Enter your enterprise number (CBE/KBO) in the settings, accept the registration terms through Dokapi, then check that the directory lists your company. From then on, your outgoing invoices travel through the network and incoming invoices feed your purchase journal. Want to connect this flow to other tools? Explore our digital transformation services or discuss your project with us.
