Why you should choose a single Peppol Access Point for all your e-Invoices

What is Peppol and How Does It Work?

Peppol (Pan-European Public Procurement Online) is a secure network that allows businesses and governments to exchange electronic documents, like invoices, in a structured and reliable way.

You can best compare how Peppol works to the mobile phone network. Just like making a call on a mobile phone, Peppol needs clear rules and standards to make sure messages, in this case, invoices, are exchanged correctly between parties.

To send and receive e-invoices via Peppol, your company needs a Peppol provider. This provider plays the same role as a mobile operator: it makes sure you are connected to the network. Every Peppol provider has a Peppol Access Point, which you can compare to a mobile phone mast, allowing you to exchange documents with other connected parties. There is, however, an important difference compared to the mobile network: with Peppol, you can choose two different providers, one for sending and one for receiving invoices. Technically, this is possible, but it also has some disadvantages (which we will explain later).

To receive invoices, your company must be officially registered on the Peppol network. You will then be assigned a Peppol ID, kind of unique phone number based on your VAT number, which is visible in the Peppol Directory, the network’s ‘yellow pages’.

To send invoices, registration in the Directory is not required. You can send invoices through any Access Point, as long as your software is compatible. However, without official registration, your sending Access Point will have limited reach, especially if you also want to receive digital delivery confirmations (invoice responses).

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Why Choosing One Peppol Access Point Is the Better Choice

Although it is technically possible to use two different providers for sending and receiving, this is not recommended for several reasons.

1. Lower costs thanks to combined volumes

If you send and receive all your e-invoices through one provider, you get higher volumes with the same provider. And more volume often means better rates. This way, you can significantly reduce the costs of your e-invoicing.

2. Better tracking and management of your sent invoices

When you use different providers, you risk not receiving confirmations for your sent invoices, called Invoice Message Responses (IMR). These digital confirmations show whether an invoice was received and processed, similar to the blue check marks when sending and reading a WhatsApp message.

Only the provider managing your incoming invoices can officially register you on the Peppol network. This means your sending provider won’t have a valid registration and cannot receive responses. As a result, you miss important feedback, which makes professional tracking difficult.

3. Less complexity, fewer mistakes

Two Access Points, and therefore two providers, also mean two technical integrations, two contracts, two helpdesks, two logins, double audits, and more. When problems arise, this often leads to a ping-pong game between suppliers, where no one takes responsibility. If you work with one Access Point, you have a single contact who manages the entire process and can respond quickly to errors or questions.

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Conclusion

With mandatory e-invoicing in Belgium starting in 2026, it’s important to make strategic choices today. Technically, you can choose two providers, but strategically, this is not wise. By choosing one Peppol Access Point for all your incoming and outgoing e-invoices, you choose simplicity, transparency, and efficiency.

Unifiedpost/Banqup is a certified Peppol Access Point that fully supports you in switching to e-invoicing. We take care of the right setup, monitoring, and support. This way, you are ready for the future of invoicing.

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