What Countries Exchange Electronic Invoices through Peppol?
Peppol was originally designed by the European Union to facilitate cross-border commerce between companies and EU public entities, but thanks to its interoperability it has become such a success it is being used outside the EU.
The Peppol system enables companies to send and receive orders, electronic invoices, waybills, etc., regardless of what country they are in.
Companies that use this system also benefit from a unified set of standards for the exchange of data. New companies are constantly incorporating themselves into the network to send and receive electronic invoices as well as other documents.
What countries Exchange electronic invoices through Peppol?
Currently, there are OpenPeppol members in 38 countries (31 in Europe, Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, and the U.S.)
Thanks to Peppol, European companies can easily exchange documents across borders. It is a unique network for the entire continent which shares documents in a standardized format.
U.K, Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Poland, Norway, Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Austria, Iceland, Greece, Portugal are only some of the European countries that are part of the Peppol network.
United Kingdom
The electronic exchange of documents between the British health system and its suppliers must be performed in a standardized manner through access points connected to the Peppol network.
France
France is implementing the electronic invoice, which will be available through its own Chorus Pro portal, it will work with two systems, one of them being Peppol.
Denmark
Scandinavian countries are at the leading edge of the electronic invoice in Europe.
Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway are pioneers of the electronic invoice with their public institutions, even before any European directives.
Their electronic invoicing system is linked to Peppol and enables foreign suppliers to exchange documents with Danish public entities through Peppol standards.
Norway
Norwegian public entities require electronic invoices from their suppliers since July 2012, even though they have their system they follow Peppol specifications.
Sweden
Government entities have been connecting to the Peppol network to promote public contracting since November 2014. It was originally voluntary but has become mandatory since 2018.
Ireland
The exchange of electronic invoices with public entities in Ireland must be done through the Peppol network since there is no other platform available in the country.
The Netherlands
The Netherlands has made it mandatory for all public sector suppliers to send invoices in Peppol format since January 2017.
Austria
The Austrian government allows the reception of documents through a Peppol Access point.
Italy
Some regions of Italy have implemented the Peppol system for transactions related to public contracting.
Belgium
The Belgian Parliament has approved the Electronic Invoicing law, confirming its effective date for all businesses on January 1, 2026. The electronic invoice model will use the Peppol network and standard, which is already being used in the B2G context.
Singapore
This is the first country outside of Europe to join the Peppol network. Singapore chose the Peppol network to implement the electronic invoice nationally. In January 2019 it activated the electronic invoice, access points, and certified service providers began to supply connectivity solutions and electronic invoicing. The Singaporean government was looking to open its doors t a global market, to improve competition and advance B2B digitalization.
Australia and New Zealand
In February 2019 Australia and New Zealand announced the adoption of the Peppol framework for the electronic invoice.
Both countries established independent Peppol authorities in October 2019 and are working together to create an unobstructed business environment.
The common focus on the electronic is another step in the digitalization and globalization of both economies.
Japan
Japan will introduce from October 1st, 2023, a new Qualified Invoice Method system. Under the new system, a JCT taxpayer will be required to retain a qualified invoice issued by a registered invoice issuer in order to be eligible to claim an input credit. As of October 1st, 2023, Qualified invoices will be required, which can be exchanged electronically using the Peppol Network.
United States of America
The Business Payments Coalition along with the Federal Reserve is piloting a standardized B2B electronic document exchange system in the United States. The initiative seeks to establish a standardized e-invoice model and create an electronic document exchange network, very similar to the PEPPOL system developed in Europe.
The BPC E-invoice Exchange Market Pilot participants have launched the Digital Business Networks Alliance (DBNAlliance) as the legal entity to oversee the new electronic exchange network. As the oversight entity, the DBNA will be responsible for defining policies, standards, security mechanisms, and other rules and guidelines that make up the exchange framework.
What role do Access Points play?
To access Peppol it is necessary to do so through an Access Point (AP), meaning that all communications through the network must be conducted from one access point to another. Issuers and recipients must access the network through an AP.
Access points are certified by the OpenPeppol association and use standardized formats, communication protocols, and electronic signature algorithms on the documents.
OpenPeppol is an international association made up of members from the public and private sectors.
This association is in charge of the development and maintenance of the Peppol specifications, basic components, and their services and implementation in all of Europe.
The access points oversee the exchange of files.
EDICOM is a Peppol Access Point
EDICOM’s purpose is to facilitate data interchange for multinational companies around the world. One of the main ways EDICOM does this is by being a certified Peppol Access Point and transforming documents into the formats and standards required by Peppol and ensuring their secure delivery to the intended recipient.
EDICOM’s international electronic invoicing platform guarantees interconnection and interoperability globally, making it possible to exchange invoices according to each country’s mandated format.
EDICOM’s solution to Connect with the Peppol network is internationally recognized and has clients in all of Europe.
EDICOM is a Peppol Access Point in Spain, Italy, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand.