Simple and compliant invoicing with Peppol

E-invoicing in the Netherlands

If you do business with the Dutch government you might already be required to use e-invoicing.

Discover below what the options are for sending e-invoices and get started in a few easy steps.

The Netherlands Peppol

E-invoicing requirements in the Netherlands

Legal obligations

At the moment, public and contracting authorities must be able to receive e-invoices. Sending is not mandatory yet, except if this was specified in a tender between the two parties.

There is no obligation yet for business-to-business. It is, however, very likely that this will change in the near future.

 

The future of e-invoicing in the Netherlands

The European Commission is stimulating Peppol as a unified European Norm for e-invoicing. The Netherlands has already introduced measures to support e-orders and status messages in Peppol which means it is likely that they will continue to do so.

Options for sending e-invoices to the Netherlands

There are several ways to send an e-invoice to the Dutch government or to a private company. Choose your option below.

How to send e-invoices to the Netherlands

If you want to send invoices via Peppol you only have to register on an official Peppol Access Point.

Follow the steps below to register on the Billit Access Point and send your first invoice.

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Step 1

Create a Billit account

  • Create your free trial account using the button below.
  • Enter your company information in the 'My company' tab.
  • Through the menu item 'My Profile' you can further complete your company details.
Billit - Create Account
Step 2

Create a customer

  • Click on 'Customers' in the menu on the left and click the '+add' button
  • Fill in your customer's details
  • In the section 'invoicing address' set the country to 'Netherlands'
  • A new KVK field will appear at the top. Fill in the KVK number for companies. You can look up a KVK number for any company via this site
  • For public entities you need to fill in an OIN number. Click the '+' button next to 'VAT' to add the OIN field. You can find OIN numbers for the Netherlands here.
  • Enter the VAT number of your customer. If you don't know what that is, you can find it in this database.
Billit - Dashboard
Step 3

Create & send invoice

  • Go to the income tab to create your first invoice and click the '+Add' button
  • In the customer field, select the customer you've just created
  • Fill in the rest of your invoice and click 'create invoice' to finalize
  • Click the 'Send' button to see all sending options
  • Billit will automatically recognize if your customer is connected to Peppol. Click the green 'Send via Peppol' button to send your invoice
Billit - Create Invoice

Why use Peppol?

Peppol is a secure and closed network with many advantages:

Safely exchange sensitive financial data

The identity of everyone affiliated with the network is verified, so you can be sure that the invoices you receive are genuine, and you avoid invoice fraud.

Automate your invoicing process

The invoices you send through the network are completely digital, so you can process them automatically in your invoicing software.

Avoid retyping data

E-invoices in the UBL standard are automatically read correctly. This prevents human error during processing.

Gain more financial insight

Linking to your bank account means that outgoing and incoming invoices are automatically matched and you get a better overview of your company's financial situation.

Send invoices quickly

Peppol is fast: your recipient will receive your invoice within 10 minutes of sending it. Combined with automatic processing, this will save a lot of time.

What is Peppol?

Peppol is an open network for securely sending and receiving business documents such as invoices. It is designed to simplify the purchase-to-pay process between governments and suppliers. Peppol was developed by the European commission but is on its way to become a global standard.

More info about Peppol

Which identifiers are being used in the Netherlands?

There are many kinds of identifiers for sending invoices via Peppol. Find out the difference between each option below.

Type Description Example
KVK number An 8-digit enterprise number for companies. It works as a unique ID and allows other entrepreneurs to safely look up information about companies they do business with. You are required to mention this ID on your invoices. 12345678
VAT (indentification) number or VAT-id number A unique identification number for entrepreneurs liable to VAT. It should be included on each invoice to customers. A Dutch VAT number starts with NL, followed by 9 digits, a B and 2 more digits. NL123456789B01
OIN number (Organisation Identification Number) OIN is a unique identifier for public entities. Dutch companies either have a KVK or an OIN number. The number is used to identify and authorize companies. An OIN number should be included on all invoices. 00000001822477348000
GLN Stands for Global Location Number. It is used by companies to identify their locations, such as legal entities, functions and physical or digital locations. You can request a GLN number with GS1. 5488888010598
DUNS D-U-N-S stands for Data Universal Numbering System and is a 9-digit code to identify a company or business entity. It is a unique number worldwide. 123456789
Connect to the Billit Access Point, with or without your own software

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