Key takeaways
- The Peppol Directory is the public directory of the Peppol network, searchable online and published by OpenPeppol.
- It lets you look up an entity by name, country or Peppol identifier.
- An absence of results does not prove a business is not connected: publishing an entry is optional.
- The Peppol Directory is for searching; the SMP and SML are for routing. They are two distinct directories.
The Peppol Directory, the network's public directory
With the B2B e-invoicing mandate, one practical question keeps coming up: how do you know whether a customer or supplier is already connected to the Peppol network? You will not send them a structured invoice if they cannot receive it. The Peppol Directory answers that question. It is the network's public directory, published by OpenPeppol and freely searchable online.
The Peppol Directory is a search engine for entities. From a name, a country or a Peppol identifier, it tells you whether an entity has a published presence on the network. It is the most direct verification tool you have, provided you know its exact scope, because it does not tell you everything. This article explains what it shows, how to use it and, above all, how to read a result correctly, present as well as absent.
What the Peppol Directory lets you check
A Peppol Directory entry gathers the published information about an entity on the network. It serves above all to confirm a presence and to retrieve the Peppol identifier that will then let you send documents to it. The content stays deliberately spare: it is a directory, not a commercial database.
What a Peppol Directory entry reveals
The entity name
As published for this business on the network.
The country
The country code associated with the participant.
The Peppol identifier
In Belgium, the enterprise number through the 0208 scheme, that is, the VAT number without the 'BE' prefix.
Confirmation of a published presence
The existence of an entry means a business card has been published for this entity.
The most useful element in practice is the identifier. Once you have it, your software can check actual reachability and route the invoice. On what this identifier is and how to obtain it for your own business, see the Peppol identifier.
Searching for a business in the Peppol Directory
The search takes a few steps, with no account and nothing to install. The principle is that of a classic search engine, applied to the entities registered on the network.
- 1
Open the public directory
Go to the Peppol Directory, the search site published by OpenPeppol.
- 2
Enter a criterion
Search by business name, by country or directly by Peppol identifier if you know it.
- 3
Read the result
An entry confirms a published presence and shows the entity's Peppol identifier.
- 4
Retrieve the identifier
Carry that identifier into your software, which will check reachability and route the document.
Searching by identifier is the most reliable: two businesses can have similar names, but the Peppol identifier is unique. In Belgium, if you know a partner's enterprise number, you already hold the most precise search key.
Present or absent: reading a result correctly
This is the most important point, and the most misunderstood. A result in the Peppol Directory confirms that a public entry has been published for the entity. An absence of results, however, does not prove that a business is not connected to Peppol.
The reason lies in how the network works. Being reachable on Peppol means being registered in an SMP by your access point. The Peppol Directory entry, on the other hand, is an additional public layer, fed separately and optional. The two are not automatically linked. When in doubt, the decisive check remains the one your software performs at sending time, by querying the technical directory.
public directory
a single Peppol Directory for the whole network
Belgian scheme
identifies a business by its CBE number
where reachability is checked
the technical directory, distinct from the Directory
Peppol Directory and technical directory: two distinct roles
The most common confusion is to equate the Peppol Directory with the SMP and the SML. Yet they pursue opposite goals: the first is built to be consulted by a person, the others to be queried by machines. The table below places each role.
| Peppol Directory | SMP / SML | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for human searching | ||
| Queried automatically by the access point | ||
| Confirms the technical reachability of a recipient | ||
| Presence is optional | ||
| Actually routes an invoice |
Remember the division of labour: you consult the Peppol Directory to spot an entity and retrieve its identifier; your access point consults the SMP and the SML to actually deliver the invoice. On how that technical directory works, see SMP and SML: the Peppol network directory explained.
Send and receive on Peppol, without managing the directory
YouInv connects you to the Peppol network through an access point: your recipients' reachability is checked and your invoices are routed automatically.
What the Peppol Directory changes for your business
For you, the Peppol Directory has two uses. The first is verification: before adding a partner, a quick search tells you whether it has a published presence and gives you its identifier. The second concerns your own visibility: if you want partners to find you easily, an entry published in your name helps. That publication goes through your access point provider and remains optional.
In both cases, what matters happens at the technical level, not in the public directory. Compliant software checks actual reachability at sending time and warns you if a recipient is not yet connected. The Peppol Directory is a valuable lookup tool, as long as you never confuse "absent from the directory" with "unreachable on the network".
Further reading
- SMP and SML: the Peppol network directory explained: the technical directory that actually governs reachability.
- The Peppol identifier: what it is for and how to get it: the Peppol Directory's search key.
- Peppol access point: what it is for: the component that queries the technical directory for you.
The reference source is authoritative: the Peppol Directory and the Peppol infrastructure specifications published by OpenPeppol.
What is the Peppol Directory?
The Peppol Directory is the public directory of the Peppol network, published by OpenPeppol and searchable online. It lets you look up an entity by name, country or Peppol identifier and confirm that it has a published presence on the network.
How do you check whether a business is connected to Peppol?
You can search for it in the Peppol Directory by name or by Peppol identifier. In Belgium, that identifier is the enterprise number through the 0208 scheme. A result confirms a published presence; the absence of a result is not proof of non-connection, because publishing an entry is optional.
Is a business missing from the Peppol Directory unreachable on Peppol?
Not necessarily. A business can receive Peppol invoices without appearing in the Peppol Directory, because appearing there requires a public entry (business card) to have been published for it, which is optional. Actual reachability depends on registration in an SMP, not on presence in the public directory.
What is the difference between the Peppol Directory and the SMP?
The Peppol Directory is a public directory meant for human searches. The SMP (Service Metadata Publisher) is the technical registry your access point queries automatically to route a document. The first is for searching, the second for delivering.
How does my business appear in the Peppol Directory?
Your presence in the Peppol Directory depends on a public entry being published by your access point provider. That publication is optional and separate from your technical registration. If you want to be visible in the directory, ask your provider.
