Peppol electronic invoicing in Belgium: car dealer guide 2026

Since January 1, 2026, electronic invoicing via Peppol is mandatory for all B2B transactions in Belgium. For a car dealer, this means every invoice to a company with a VAT number must go through the Peppol network. No more PDF by email, no more paper. In this guide, we explain what this means and how to adapt your dealership.

What exactly is Peppol?

Peppol (Pan-European Public Procurement Online) is an international network allowing businesses to exchange structured electronic invoices (UBL XML). Instead of a PDF email, the invoice flows directly from your accounting system to your customer's, in structured format. No OCR, no manual entry, no loss.

When is Peppol mandatory?

• From January 1, 2026: all B2B invoices between Belgian businesses with VAT number
• Not for B2C: private individuals (no VAT number) still receive a PDF or paper
• Public customers (B2G): already mandatory since 2019

What if I'm not compliant?

From 2026, non-compliant invoices are fiscally rejected. In concrete terms:

• Your customer cannot deduct VAT from a non-Peppol invoice
• Fines up to €5 000 per non-compliant invoice
• Reputation damage with B2B customers who themselves must be compliant

How to start with Peppol?

Step 1: Choose an Access Point

You cannot connect directly to Peppol yourself — you need an Access Point (AP). The most popular in Belgium:

• Digiteal (Belgian, local support)
• A-Cube (Italian, good value)
• Basware, Tungsten (enterprise)

Step 2: Register your BCE number

Your Access Point registers your Belgian company number (BCE) in the Peppol SML directory. Afterwards, every other Peppol member can identify you as sender/receiver.

Step 3: Integrate with your invoicing system

Your accounting system must be able to generate UBL XML (Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 format). Modern CMS like WebCarSolutions do this automatically — you simply click "send" after creating an invoice.

Step 4: Test with a colleague

Send your first test invoice to a friendly company already on Peppol. Verify they receive it and parse the XML correctly.

Concrete example for a car dealer

You sell a van to a construction company (B2B). Process:

1. You create the invoice in your CMS with the customer's BCE number
2. The CMS detects the VAT number → route = Peppol B2B
3. UBL XML is automatically generated (InvoiceTypeCode 380, VAT category S, total TTC)
4. You click "Send via Peppol"
5. The AP (A-Cube or Digiteal) transmits the XML via the Peppol network
6. Your customer receives the invoice in their accounting within a minute
7. You receive a confirmation: status = sent

And B2C?

For private customers (no BCE number), the old system remains: PDF by email or paper. Peppol is only mandatory for B2B. A modern car dealer CMS automatically detects the customer type and routes the invoice to the correct channel.

Pitfalls to avoid

• Wrong VAT category code: use S (standard) for regular sales, O (not subject) for margin scheme on used cars
• No BCE validation: verify that the customer BCE exists in the BCE database before sending
• Not using sandbox environment: first test in production can create irreversible invoices
• Manual XML creation: let your CMS do it, BIS 3.0 is complex

Conclusion

Peppol is no longer a choice in 2026 — it's a legal obligation for B2B. The good news: modern car dealer CMS like WebCarSolutions handle everything automatically. You just need to be aware of the process, pick the right VAT category, and make sure customer data (BCE number) is filled in correctly.