Peppol Standards and Compliance

This guide covers the key standards and compliance requirements for Peppol document exchange.

Peppol BIS (Business Interoperability Specifications)

Peppol BIS defines the business rules and document formats for different types of electronic documents. These specifications ensure interoperability between trading partners.

Key BIS Specifications

BIS Billing 3.0

The most commonly used specification is BIS Billing 3.0, which supports:

• EN16931-compliant invoices: Conforming to the European Standard for e-invoicing
• Credit notes: For refunds and corrections
• Self-billing: Where the customer creates the invoice on behalf of the supplier

Document Formats and Identifiers

Document Type Identifiers

Document type identifiers in Peppol follow this pattern:

root namespace::document element name##customization ID::version ID

For example, the standard invoice identifier:

urn:oasis:names:specification:ubl:schema:xsd:Invoice-2::Invoice##urn:cen.eu:en16931:2017#compliant#urn:fdc:peppol.eu:2017:poacc:billing:3.0::2.1

Process Identifiers

Process identifiers specify the business process context:

urn:fdc:peppol.eu:2017:poacc:billing:01:1.0

Where:

• poacc indicates Post-Award processes
• billing is the process group
• 01 is the specific process (e.g., billing)
• 1.0 is the version

Validation Rules

Peppol documents must pass multiple validation levels:

1. Syntax Validation Basic XML schema validation ensuring the document structure is correct.

2. Semantic Validation (Schematron) Business rules validation using Schematron, checking that:

• Mandatory fields are present
• Field values are in valid formats
• Business logic is consistent

3. Peppol Rules Additional Peppol-specific rules, such as:

• Valid Peppol identifiers
• Required party information
• Allowable code values

Regional Compliance Requirements

Many countries have specific e-invoicing requirements that Peppol implementations must satisfy:

European Union

• Directive 2014/55/EU: Mandates that all public sector entities must be able to receive and process e-invoices
• EN16931: European standard for e-invoicing core elements

Compliance in the Recommand API

The Recommand Peppol API handles many compliance details automatically:

Document Validation

When sending a document through Recommand using the sendDocument endpoint:

await fetch("https://peppol.recommand.eu/api/peppol/{companyId}/sendDocument", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    /* authentication headers */
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    recipient: "0208:987654321",
    documentType: "invoice",
    document: invoiceData,
  }),
});

The API automatically:

1. Validates the document against the appropriate BIS specification
2. Converts your JSON payload to compliant UBL XML
3. Adds required Peppol headers and identifiers
4. Applies digital signatures as required

Support for Multiple Document Types

The API supports sending both high-level JSON documents and raw XML:

// Using JSON (automatically converted to UBL)
{
  "recipient": "0208:987654321",
  "documentType": "invoice",
  "document": { /* invoice JSON */ }
}

// Using raw UBL
{
  "recipient": "0208:987654321",
  "documentType": "xml",
  "document": "<Invoice>...</Invoice>",
  "doctypeId": "urn:oasis:names:specification:ubl:schema:xsd:Invoice-2::Invoice##urn:cen.eu:en16931:2017#compliant#urn:fdc:peppol.eu:2017:poacc:billing:3.0::2.1"
}

Testing and certification

Before going live with Peppol:

1. Test documents against Peppol validation rules
2. Verify recipient readiness using the verification endpoints
3. Send test documents to known recipients in a controlled manner

Common Compliance Challenges

1. Missing mandatory fields: Ensure all required fields are provided
2. Incorrect party information: Verify all party identifiers are correct
3. Invalid code values: Use only approved codes for units, countries, currencies, etc.
4. Country-specific rules: Be aware of additional national requirements

Next Steps

• Sending Your First Invoice (API Reference)
• Managing Companies (API Reference)
• Verifying Recipients (API Reference)