Key takeaways
- Peppol PINT (Peppol International Invoice) is OpenPeppol's international invoicing model, available on the network since 1 July 2023.
- It structures the invoice into three layers: shared content, aligned content and distinct content.
- It serves as a base for per-jurisdiction specialisations; for the EU, PINT-EU directly implements Peppol BIS Billing 3.0.
- For a Belgian business, nothing changes day to day: the 2026 B2B mandate still rests on Peppol BIS Billing 3.0.
Peppol PINT, the model that extends Peppol beyond Europe
The Peppol network was born in Europe, and its billing profile, Peppol BIS Billing 3.0, was designed around EU VAT. Yet Peppol is now used well beyond it: Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and others have adopted it. So that these countries can exchange invoices without reinventing a format at every border, OpenPeppol published Peppol PINT, the international invoicing model, available on the network since 1 July 2023.
PINT stands for Peppol International Invoice. It is not a new network, nor an abrupt replacement of what exists: it is a way to build invoice profiles so they stay compatible across jurisdictions. This article explains what PINT contains, how it differs from Peppol BIS Billing 3.0, and what to take away from it when you invoice from Belgium.
Why PINT, when BIS Billing 3.0 already exists
Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 builds on the European standard EN 16931, which describes an invoice designed for EU taxation. That framing is a strength in Europe and a limit elsewhere: OpenPeppol's documentation notes that the mandatory billing profile does not support the regulation of the network's non-EU countries.
PINT answers that need without fragmenting the network. Rather than letting each country create an isolated format, it defines a common core and allows local adaptation only in precise areas. As a result, an invoice issued under a PINT specialisation remains readable, in its essential parts, by a recipient in another jurisdiction. That is exactly what cross-border interoperability is about.
available on the network
PINT went live at OpenPeppol
content layers
shared, aligned, distinct
message syntax
invoice and credit note under PINT-EU
The three content layers of the PINT model
PINT's logic rests on one simple idea: whatever must travel everywhere is fixed, whatever depends on a country is isolated. The model therefore sorts the invoice's information into three layers.
How PINT structures an invoice
Shared content
Defined and used in the same way across all invoicing domains. It carries the minimum rules that enable basic automation: reading by an ERP, order-to-invoice matching.
Aligned content
Defined in general terms, understood by all domains, but meant to be given a more specific definition in each jurisdiction.
Distinct content
Specific to a jurisdiction; it carries local legislation and practices and may not be understood by a recipient in another domain.
A national specialisation starts from this base and only touches it within set limits: it may refine the aligned content and add distinct content, but never modifies the shared content. That discipline is what guarantees a common trunk survives from one country to another.
PINT and Peppol BIS Billing 3.0: what sets them apart
The most common confusion pits the two against each other as rival formats. In reality they operate at different levels: BIS Billing 3.0 is the concrete European profile, PINT is the international model that lets equivalent profiles exist elsewhere. The table below places each.
| Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 | PINT model | |
|---|---|---|
| EN 16931 conformance specific to the European profile | ||
| Invoice and credit note in UBL 2.1 syntax | ||
| Billing profile used in the EU today | ||
| Common base declined per jurisdiction (EU, Japan, Australia...) | ||
| Layer adaptable locally without breaking interoperability |
The European specialisation, PINT-EU, illustrates the link between the two: its documentation describes it as a direct implementation of Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 into the PINT methodology. In other words, the EU does not change its invoice content; it re-expresses its existing profile within the common frame. For the structure of the file itself, see The UBL 2.1 format explained; for the underlying semantic model, The EN 16931 standard.
What PINT means for a Belgian business
In Belgium, the reference point does not move. The B2B mandate on 1 January 2026 rests on Peppol BIS Billing 3.0, and the PINT-EU specialisation stays equivalent to that profile. For domestic or intra-EU invoicing, PINT therefore adds no step: your software produces the same kind of document as today.
PINT becomes genuinely useful when you exchange invoices with partners outside the Union, in markets that have adopted Peppol. That is where the common core pays off: a Japanese supplier and a Belgian buyer can rely on the same foundations, each with its local specialisation. The right reflex is not to learn PINT, but to pick a tool that follows the evolution of Peppol profiles for you.
Compliant Peppol invoices, without tracking the specifications by hand
YouInv generates, validates and sends your Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 invoices over the network, and follows the profiles' evolution for you.
Should you worry about it today
For the vast majority of Belgian businesses, the answer is no: what matters in the short term is being ready for the 2026 mandate with software that sends and receives Peppol BIS Billing 3.0. PINT is the network's underlying direction, not a deadline that concerns you directly.
Understanding the principle is still useful for one reason: it clarifies what Peppol really is. Not a fixed European format, but a global network giving itself a common model to stay interoperable as it grows. The criterion for choosing a tool follows from that: prefer a solution that tracks these standards over one that freezes a format at a point in time.
Further reading
- Peppol BIS Billing 3.0: what the format contains: the European profile in force, in detail.
- The EN 16931 standard: the shared semantic model everything rests on.
- Understanding the Peppol network in 5 minutes: the four-corner model and access points.
The reference sources are authoritative: the Peppol PINT documentation and the PINT availability announcement published by OpenPeppol.
What is Peppol PINT?
Peppol PINT (Peppol International Invoice) is the international invoicing model published by OpenPeppol. It serves as a common base for country-specific invoice specifications, so the Peppol network works beyond Europe while staying interoperable. It has been available on the network since 1 July 2023.
What is the difference between Peppol PINT and Peppol BIS Billing 3.0?
Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 is the invoicing profile used in the European Union today. Peppol PINT is a more general model: it takes the EN 16931 semantic model and structures it into three content layers, so that regions outside the EU can define their own profile without breaking interoperability. For the EU, the PINT-EU specialisation directly implements Peppol BIS Billing 3.0.
Does Peppol PINT replace Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 in Belgium?
No. The Belgian B2B mandate of 1 January 2026 rests on Peppol BIS Billing 3.0. The European PINT-EU specialisation is a direct implementation of Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 into the PINT methodology: it stays equivalent. For a Belgian business, compliant software handles the format without changing your habits.
Which standard and syntax does Peppol PINT rely on?
Peppol PINT is an international model that is not limited to the EN 16931 standard. It is the European PINT-EU specialisation that is a conforming application (CIUS) of it and uses the UBL 2.1 syntax (Invoice and CreditNote messages), the same as Peppol BIS Billing 3.0. Other jurisdictions adapt the model to their own rules.
Which jurisdictions have a PINT specialisation?
OpenPeppol and local Peppol authorities publish PINT specialisations per jurisdiction, for example for the European Union, Australia and New Zealand, Japan and Singapore. Each starts from the same PINT base and adapts only the layers meant to be adapted.
