PEPPOL eInvoicing is Connecting Europe
The 17th of April 2019 is a major milestone for eInvoicing in Europe. From this date it is mandatory for public administrations in Europe to receive and process invoices in a standard format electronically. The PEPPOL BIS Billing 3.0 is a Core Invoice Usage Specification (CIUS) of the European standard for eInvoicing (EN16931), and as such is a tool for public administrations to meet this legal obligation.
eInvoicing through PEPPOL BIS Billing 3.0 and the PEPPOL eDelivery Network is already widespread in Europe. With 224 Access Points connected to the PEPPOL eDelivery Network in 20 EU countries, three EEA countries and three other non-European countries, and more than 200.000 public and private sector end users able to receive PEPPOL BIS Billing 3.0 invoices, the PEPPOL approach is a preferred option for eInvoicing in Europe. The PEPPOL approach has also proven valuable outside Europe; with a PEPPOL based nationwide e-invoicing framework launched in Singapore in January, and the recent announcement by Australia and New Zealand on the transition to PEPPOL for eInvoicing by end of year 2019.
European Commission support
The Commission’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) eInvoicing Building Block will continue to help European countries by offering on-site eInvoicing Trainings and Workshops; supporting webinars; a User Community hosting online discussions and a dedicated Conformance Testing Service.
In addition, it will be possible to apply for INEA grants until 2020.
For more information about the status for eInvoicing in Europe and the way ahead, please visit the European Commission webpage on eInvoicing.
How to get started exchanging EN compliant invoices over the PEPPOL eDelivery Network
End-users need to know the PEPPOL identity of their trading partners, if not already known, please query http://directory.peppol.eu; they need to agree that the PEPPOL BIS Billing 3.0 covers the invoice transaction business requirements; and they need to ensure their software or service provider supports the PEPPOL BIS Billing 3.0 and is connected to a Certified Access Point. The list of Certified PEPPOL Access Points can be found at https://peppol.eu/who-is-who/peppol-certified-aps/.
Service providers need to implement support for PEPPOL BIS Billing 3.0 in their software and become a certified Access Point (AP) in the PEPPOL eDelivery Network. To become an AP provider, they need to join OpenPEPPOL and sign a PEPPOL Agreement with a PEPPOL Authority and install AP software or, buy it as a service or implement the PEPPOL specifications their own software. Then they need to pass the on-boarding test. AP implementation guides can be found at https://peppol.eu/downloads/ap-guidelines/.