Which documents can be sent over the Peppol network?

Invoices, but also credit notes, orders, despatch advices, etc.

Although e-invoicing is the most well-known use case, Peppol supports a wide range of structured business documents. These documents are based on the Peppol BIS specifications (Business Interoperability Specifications).

Below are some of the most common documents that can be sent over the Peppol network.

Document typeDescriptionBIS specificationTypical use case
Invoice (BIS Billing 3.0)Electronic invoice in structured UBL formatBIS Billing 3.0Sales invoices to customers or governments
Credit Note (BIS Billing 3.0)Structured credit note, often linked to an invoice referenceBIS Billing 3.0Correction of previously invoiced amounts
Order (BIS Order 3.0)Official purchase order from a customer to a supplierBIS Order 3.0Procurement orders, especially in e-procurement
Order Response (BIS Order Agreement 3.0)Confirmation or adjustment of a received orderBIS Order Agreement 3.0Approval, rejection or modification of orders
Despatch Advice (BIS Despatch Advice 3.0)Shipping notice with details about the goods sentBIS Despatch Advice 3.0Confirmation of shipment or delivery
Receipt Advice (BIS Despatch Advice 3.0)Message confirming the goods have been receivedBIS Despatch Advice 3.0Receipt confirmation after delivery
Catalogue (BIS Catalogue 3.0)Product catalogue with prices, references and descriptionsBIS Catalogue 3.0Synchronizing product information between systems
Self-Billing InvoiceInvoice created by the customer on behalf of the supplierBIS Billing 3.0 (Self Billing variant)Common in agriculture, retail and platform economy
Reminder / Statement (in development)Overview or reminder of outstanding documentsExpected in future Peppol extensions

In short: Peppol is evolving from an invoicing network into a fully interoperable business communication network. This allows companies to fully automate their purchase-to-pay (P2P) or order-to-cash (O2C) processes in a secure and structured way, without manual processing.