Belgium’s e-Invoicing mandate: Are you compliance ready?
Belgium is set to mandate e-invoicing via Peppol, requiring businesses to adopt compliant digital invoicing practices to streamline transactions, enhance tax compliance, and align with EU regulations.
By Ioana Ploesteanu, Product Marketing Manager, Tradeshift
Belgian businesses are about to experience a significant change in invoicing practices. Following a growing European trend towards digital tax reporting (notably the adoption of the ViDA framework), a mandatory e-invoicing compliance regulation will be implemented in 2026 via the Peppol network. This initiative aims to modernize invoicing, improve tax compliance, and reduce fraudulent activity.
This change presents both challenges and opportunities for financial and IT leaders. Understanding the upcoming e-Invoicing requirements and preparing in advance will be crucial for a smooth transition.
This Peppol guide is for IT Managers, EDI specialists and business leaders who operate or have business partners in countries such as Belgium, France and Germany, that require Peppol as the mandatory protocol to exchange e-invoices.
What does the Belgian e-Invoicing mandate require?
The Belgian government has decided to adopt Peppol (Pan-European Public Procurement Online) as the standard for e-invoicing. Peppol is a secure, structured network that enables businesses to exchange invoices electronically in a standardized format, ensuring compliance and efficiency.
Key requirements of the mandate:
- Mandatory e-invoicing for B2B transactions: From 2026, all businesses operating in Belgium will be required to issue and receive invoices electronically through Peppol. VAT-registered, non-established entities are fully exempt from the Belgian e-invoicing mandate, as confirmed by Belgian authorities on March 19, 2024.
- Use of structured formats: Traditional PDF invoices will no longer suffice; invoices must be sent in a Peppol-compliant XML format.
- Real-time validation and reporting: The new system will allow for real-time checks and validation, reducing errors and improving tax transparency.
Timeline for implementation
- 2024-2025: Awareness and voluntary adoption phase. Businesses are encouraged to familiarize themselves with Peppol and begin implementing e-invoicing solutions.
- January 2026: Full enforcement of the e-invoicing mandate for all businesses in Belgium.
How should businesses prepare?
With the January 2026 deadline approaching, companies should take proactive steps to ensure compliance:
- Assess Your Current Invoicing Process
Evaluate how invoices are currently generated, transmitted, and processed within your organization. - Choose a Peppol-Accredited Provider
Partner with a certified Peppol Access Point, like Tradeshift, to ensure smooth e-invoicing integration. - Upgrade Your ERP and Accounting Systems
Ensure your financial systems support Peppol-compliant invoicing formats and integration. - Train Your Finance and IT Teams
Educate your teams on the new e-invoicing process, compliance requirements, and system changes. - Test and Optimize Before the Deadline
Start using Peppol e-invoicing voluntarily to identify potential challenges and resolve them before the mandate takes effect.
Check out our Spring Release blog article for more updates on e-Invoicing compliance developments.
How can Tradeshift help with e-Invoicing compliance in Belgium?
Tradeshift has a proven track record of delivering compliance-as-a-service, providing innovative solutions that support the digital transformation journey of customers like AirFrance, Disneyland Paris, DHL, and Schaeffler, while ensuring they comply with e-Invoicing and tax clearance mandates.
Currently, we offer compliance-as-a-service for 70 countries, including a streamlined process for complying with tax clearance mandates in 12 countries and e-Invoicing mandates. Our support extends to countries with tax clearance or B2B e-Invoicing mandates, such as France, Romania, Malaysia, and Germany, with plans to expand our roadmap to include other European and APAC countries. To maintain our commitment to compliance excellence, we continuously monitor emerging global regulations and prioritize the inclusion of additional countries in our roadmap.
As a certified Peppol Access Point provider, we are uniquely positioned to offer cross-zone fapiao e-Invoicing capabilities in China and were among the first to become a registered PDP (PDP immatriculée) in France.
Babelway, a B2B integration and EDI platform under Tradeshift’s product portfolio, is officially used by both the Belgian Government (the governmental platform for B2G e-invoicing, Mercurius, is powered by Babelway and currently running under its technology), and the Luxembourg Government to exchange B2G invoices. Through Babelway we’ve been part of the Peppol Association since 2014, and our platform completely supports the Peppol protocol.
Penalties for non-compliance are increasing. Is your business compliant?
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