Key takeaways
- A Peppol access point is a certified provider that connects your business to the network: you never connect to Peppol directly.
- The network runs on a four-corner model: sender, sending access point, receiving access point, recipient.
- In Belgium, your participant identifier is based on the CBE company number, in the format 0208:number (mandatory scheme).
- A successful send is confirmed by the Message Level Status (MLS) returned by the receiving access point.
Connecting to Peppol goes through an access point
Since 1 January 2026, structured e-invoicing has been mandatory for B2B transactions between VAT-registered businesses established in Belgium. The rule is well known; the practical question that remains is technical: how do you actually connect to Peppol? The answer comes down to one thing, the Peppol access point, and it is simpler than it sounds.
You never connect directly to the Peppol network. You go through an access point, a service provider certified by OpenPeppol that handles transmission. It is the access point that talks to the other access points, validates your invoices, and manages addressing. Your part is limited to choosing the right provider and registering your identifier.
This article describes the mechanism end to end: the four-corner model, what an access point precisely is, how to obtain a participant identifier in Belgium, how to choose and activate a provider, and what a successful test send looks like. For the legal framework behind the obligation, start with Peppol Belgium: the B2B mandate from 1 January 2026.
The four-corner model, in plain terms
Peppol rests on a so-called "four-corner" architecture. Rather than connecting every business to every partner, the network inserts two certified intermediaries between the sender and the recipient. The four corners are as follows.
- 1
C1 — the sender
Corner 1Your business creates the invoice in its software, in Peppol BIS format.
- 2
C2 — the sending access point
Corner 2Your provider validates the invoice, locates the recipient, and sends it on the network.
- 3
C3 — the receiving access point
Corner 3The recipient's provider receives the message and checks its conformance.
- 4
C4 — the recipient
Corner 4The receiving business gets the structured invoice in its own software.
The point of this model is one simple principle, summarised by OpenPeppol: connect once to reach all participants. You connect to a single access point and you can exchange with any business on the network, whatever its own provider may be. There is no bilateral integration to negotiate with each of your customers or suppliers.
To route the message, the sending access point (C2) queries two network directories: the Service Metadata Locator (SML), which says where to find the recipient's details, then the Service Metadata Publisher (SMP), which describes C4's receiving capabilities. These two components make addressing automatic: you do not need to know your customer's provider.
What an access point precisely is
A Peppol access point is a service provider certified by OpenPeppol to transport documents over the network. Certification commits it to concrete obligations, and that is what sets Peppol apart from a plain exchange of files over email.
What a certified access point does
Validate outgoing messages
The sending access point checks each invoice for conformance to the Peppol BIS specifications before sending it.
Address and route
It queries the SML and SMP to locate the recipient, then transmits over the secure Peppol AS4 protocol.
Receive on your behalf
The receiving access point takes in incoming invoices and makes them available to your software.
Return a status
It produces a Message Level Status (MLS) indicating the outcome of document processing.
In practice, you do not "manage" an access point. You use it through your software. The provider operates the infrastructure, maintains its certification, and applies changes to the Peppol specifications. Your work ends at choosing the provider and registering your identifier.
Your Belgian Peppol ID is based on the CBE number
To be reachable on the network, your business needs a Peppol participant identifier. In Belgium, this identifier is not a new code to request: it derives from your company number registered with the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE).
The identifier takes the form 0208:number, where 0208 is the official scheme for the Belgian company number and number is your CBE number (without the "BE" prefix). According to the Belgian Peppol Authority requirements relayed by the FPS Finance e-invoice portal, registration under scheme 0208 is mandatory for Belgian companies; providers are contractually bound to do so.
In practice, it is your access point that registers this identifier for you at connection time. You supply your company number; the provider creates the matching entry in the directory (SMP) so your suppliers can address invoices to you.
How to choose and activate an access point
Choosing a provider comes down to a few verifiable criteria. The table below separates what is non-negotiable from what is a matter of convenience.
| Non-negotiable criterion | Convenience criterion | |
|---|---|---|
| OpenPeppol certified (access point and SMP) | ||
| Sends and receives Peppol BIS (EN 16931) | ||
| Automatic registration of the 0208 identifier | ||
| Delivery status (MLS) visible in the interface | ||
| Invoicing and accounting software integration | ||
| Support in French and Dutch |
Activation follows the same logic with any provider. You create an account and enter your company number. The provider registers your 0208 identifier and enables your receiving capabilities. You can then receive your first invoices, then send your own. No step requires any network expertise on your part.
If you are still weighing several tools, Choosing accounting software in Belgium covers selection criteria beyond Peppol connection alone.
Connected to Peppol, with no technical handling
YouInv embeds a certified Peppol access point: your Peppol BIS invoices are sent and received directly, with delivery status to back it up.
What a successful test send looks like
Once connected, confirm the connection with a real send rather than a mere interface promise. The Peppol network provides clear signals for this, chief among them the Message Level Status (MLS).
The MLS is a message returned by the receiving access point (C3) to report the document's processing status. According to the OpenPeppol MLS specification, it indicates whether the document was rejected for non-compliance, forwarded without delivery confirmation, or delivered to the final recipient with confirmation. It is a business-level status, distinct from the transport-level acknowledgements (protocol level) exchanged between access points.
A successful test send
The invoice passes Peppol BIS validation
The sending access point accepts it with no EN 16931 conformance error.
The recipient is located
The SML and SMP return an active access point for the targeted identifier.
A positive MLS comes back
The status indicates delivery to the recipient rather than a rejection.
Receiving is tested the other way
An incoming invoice does appear in your software.
A rejection is not a connection failure: it is often a missing field or a recipient not registered on the network. The status then tells you what to fix. Once the first round trip is validated, your connection is operational across the whole network.
Further reading
- Peppol Belgium: the B2B mandate from 1 January 2026: the legal framework that makes this connection necessary.
- Getting ready for e-invoicing in 2026: the practical roadmap to compliance.
- Choosing accounting software in Belgium: selection criteria beyond Peppol.
The reference sources are authoritative: the Peppol Interoperability Framework (OpenPeppol) and the FPS Finance e-invoice portal.
What is a Peppol access point?
A Peppol access point is a service provider certified by OpenPeppol that connects a business to the Peppol network. It sends your invoices to recipients' access points and receives those from your suppliers, validating messages against the Peppol BIS specifications.
How do you connect to the Peppol network in Belgium?
You do not connect to the network directly. You choose software or a provider linked to a certified Peppol access point. The provider registers your participant identifier and enables sending and receiving. There is no separate contract to sign with OpenPeppol.
What is a Belgian company's Peppol participant ID?
In Belgium, the Peppol participant identifier is based on the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE) company number, in the format 0208:number. Scheme 0208 is mandatory for Belgian companies under the Belgian Peppol Authority requirements.
How do you confirm a Peppol invoice was received?
The sending access point validates the invoice, then locates the recipient via the SML and SMP. The Message Level Status (MLS) returned by the receiving access point indicates whether the document was rejected, forwarded, or delivered to the final recipient.
What is the Peppol four-corner model?
It is Peppol's exchange architecture: the sender (C1) goes through its access point (C2), which transmits to the recipient's access point (C3), which delivers to the recipient (C4). Each business connects only once to reach every participant on the network.
