The Peppol Network
Peppol (Pan-European Public Procurement OnLine) is a global network that enables businesses and governments to exchange electronic documents, primarily invoices.
What is Peppol?
Peppol is:
- A network of connected access points
- A set of standards for document formats
- A governance framework managed by OpenPeppol
- Active in 30+ countries worldwide
How Peppol Works
The Peppol network uses a "4-corner model":
┌─────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐
│ Sender │───▶│ Sender's │───▶│ Receiver's │───▶│ Receiver │
│ (Corner 1) │ │ Access Point │ │ Access Point │ │ (Corner 4) │
│ │ │ (Corner 2) │ │ (Corner 3) │ │ │
│ Your │ │ GoRoute │ │ Receiver's │ │ Customer │
│ Business │ │ POP000991 │ │ AP │ │ Business │
└─────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └─────────────┘
The 4 Corners
| Corner | Role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| C1 | Sender | The business sending the invoice |
| C2 | Sender's Access Point | GoRoute - transmits to the network |
| C3 | Receiver's Access Point | The recipient's Peppol service provider |
| C4 | Receiver | The business receiving the invoice |
Key Components
Access Points (AP)
Access Points are certified service providers that:
- Connect to the Peppol network
- Transmit documents using AS4 protocol
- Validate documents before sending
- Provide delivery confirmations
GoRoute is a certified Peppol Access Point: POP000991
Service Metadata Publisher (SMP)
The SMP is a directory that stores:
- Participant registrations
- Document capabilities
- Access Point endpoints
When you send an invoice, GoRoute:
- Looks up the receiver in the SMP
- Finds their Access Point
- Delivers the document to that AP
Service Metadata Locator (SML)
The SML is the "DNS of Peppol" — it tells Access Points which SMP contains a participant's information.
Document Types
Peppol supports various document types:
| Document | Process ID | Common Use |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice | BIS Billing 3.0 | Standard invoices |
| Credit Note | BIS Billing 3.0 | Corrections/refunds |
| Order | BIS Ordering 3.0 | Purchase orders |
| Order Response | BIS Ordering 3.0 | Order confirmations |
| Catalogue | BIS Catalogue 3.0 | Product catalogs |
| Despatch Advice | BIS Despatch 3.0 | Shipping notices |
Peppol Identifiers
Every participant has a unique Peppol identifier:
scheme:identifier
Examples:
0106:12345678(Netherlands KVK)0204:DE123456789(German VAT)0195:SGUEN123456A(Singapore UEN)
See Peppol Identifiers for the full list of schemes.
The AS4 Protocol
Peppol uses the AS4 messaging protocol:
- Based on SOAP/HTTP
- Provides reliable messaging
- Includes message receipts
- Supports encryption and signing
You don't need to implement AS4 yourself. GoRoute exposes a simple REST API and handles all AS4 complexity internally.
Peppol BIS 3.0
BIS (Business Interoperability Specification) defines:
- Required document fields
- Validation rules
- Code lists
- Business rules
GoRoute validates all documents against:
- UBL 2.1 XSD — Structure validation
- EN16931 — European standard
- Peppol BIS 3.0 — Peppol-specific rules
Geographic Coverage
Peppol is active in 40+ countries with official Peppol Authorities:
Europe (EU/EEA + UK)
🇦🇹 Austria • 🇧🇪 Belgium • 🇧🇬 Bulgaria • 🇭🇷 Croatia • 🇨🇾 Cyprus • 🇨🇿 Czechia • 🇩🇰 Denmark • 🇪🇪 Estonia • 🇫🇮 Finland • 🇫🇷 France • 🇩🇪 Germany • 🇬🇷 Greece • 🇭🇺 Hungary • 🇮🇸 Iceland • 🇮🇪 Ireland • 🇮🇹 Italy • 🇱🇻 Latvia • 🇱🇹 Lithuania • 🇱🇺 Luxembourg • 🇲🇹 Malta • 🇳🇱 Netherlands • 🇳🇴 Norway • 🇵🇱 Poland • 🇵🇹 Portugal • 🇷🇴 Romania • 🇸🇰 Slovakia • 🇸🇮 Slovenia • 🇪🇸 Spain • 🇸🇪 Sweden • 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Asia-Pacific
🇦🇺 Australia • 🇯🇵 Japan • 🇲🇾 Malaysia • 🇳🇿 New Zealand • 🇸🇬 Singapore
Middle East (GCC)
🇴🇲 Oman • 🇶🇦 Qatar • 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia • 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
Americas
🇨🇦 Canada • 🇲🇽 Mexico • 🇺🇸 United States
Benefits of Peppol
| Benefit | Description |
|---|---|
| Interoperability | One connection reaches 500,000+ participants |
| Standardization | Consistent format across all countries |
| Automation | Structured data enables straight-through processing |
| Compliance | Meets EU and national e-invoicing mandates |
| Cost Reduction | Lower processing costs vs paper/PDF |
| Speed | Real-time delivery and confirmation |
GoRoute's Role
As a certified Peppol Access Point, GoRoute:
- Simplifies Access — REST API instead of AS4/SOAP
- Validates Documents — Ensures compliance before sending
- Manages Registration — Handles SMP registration
- Provides Reliability — 99.9% uptime SLA
- Offers Support — Expert assistance for Peppol compliance