Peppol Identifier Requirements & Validation Checks

A structurally valid e-invoice can still fail to reach its recipient when the Peppol identifier is incorrect, incomplete, or linked to outdated routing metadata. The result is avoidable manual follow-up, delayed payments, failed submissions, and support workload.

Peppol identifiers address this problem by giving each participant a recognised electronic address and enabling Access Points to locate the recipient’s delivery capabilities. This guide explains how Peppol identifiers, scheme codes, validation, and participant lookup work to support reliable e-invoice routing across global markets.

What is a Peppol identifier?

A Peppol Participant Identifier is the technical identifier used to discover a recipient’s service metadata in the Peppol network. In Peppol BIS invoice documents, the seller’s and buyer’s electronic addresses are expressed in the EndpointID element with a scheme identifier. In many standard Peppol Billing workflows, the EndpointID corresponds to the Participant Identifier used for delivery. It combines:

1. An identifier scheme code
2. The identifier value issued under that scheme

It is commonly represented as "schemeID:identifier-value". For example: 0088:7300010000001

Here, 0088 identifies the GS1 Global Location Number (GLN) scheme, while 7300010000001 is the organisation’s GLN value.

A Peppol participant identifier combines an identifier scheme and an identifier value. In many Peppol tools it is displayed in a compact form such as 0088:7300010000001; in technical eDelivery contexts, it may appear in a fully qualified form such as iso6523-actorid-upis::0088:7300010000001. In Peppol BIS XML, the scheme and value are represented separately in the EndpointID element.

Peppol uses recognised national and international identifier schemes rather than creating one global business-ID system. For Peppol BIS Billing documents, the EndpointID scheme must be selected from the Electronic Address Scheme (EAS) code list. Participant Identifier schemes are governed separately through Peppol’s eDelivery identifier policy and related code-list governance.

Common Peppol identifier scheme codes

The following examples are commonly used participant identifier schemes. Availability, status, and validation requirements can change.

Although many Peppol identifier schemes are based on ISO 6523 International Code Designator values, Peppol policy also permits certain extended values beginning with 99 where the applicable policy conditions are met. Do not assume that every numeric scheme code is an ISO 6523 code; always validate it against the current applicable Peppol code list.

Two practical rules follow:

• Use a scheme only when it appears in the current Peppol code list.
• Do not use deprecated Endpoint IDs for new documents or new Service Metadata Publisher (SMP) registrations; schemes with a removal date cannot be used after that date.

For developers, the safest approach is to consume the published code-list files, available in formats including JSON, XML, Excel, and GeneriCode, rather than maintain a static internal table.

Peppol identifier types: Participant IDs, Party IDs, and EndpointIDs

These terms are related but have different roles:

• A Participant Identifier identifies a technical participant for Peppol network routing and SMP capability lookup.
• A Party Identifier identifies a business entity within an invoice, such as the buyer, seller, payee, or delivery party.
• An EndpointID is the electronic address included in a Peppol BIS document.

In Peppol BIS Billing 3.0, the buyer electronic address is mandatory and must include a schemeID attribute.

For a UBL invoice, the buyer endpoint can appear as:

xml - <cbc:EndpointID schemeID="0192">987654321</cbc:EndpointID>

Here, 0192 identifies the scheme, and 987654321 is the electronic address value.

In Peppol BIS Billing, the seller’s and buyer’s EndpointID values identify the parties’ electronic addresses in the invoice.

For enveloped BIS messages, the corresponding SBDH sender and receiver identifiers must match the relevant party EndpointID, including the scheme ID. Delivery should still be confirmed through live SML/SMP discovery, because capability and endpoint metadata can change.

How Peppol participant lookup and SMP discovery work

Before sending an e-invoice, an Access Point must determine whether the recipient can receive the relevant document and where it should be delivered.

The process generally works as follows:

1. The sender provides the recipient’s Peppol Participant ID.
2. The Access Point queries the Service Metadata Locator (SML).
3. The SML identifies the recipient’s Service Metadata Publisher.
4. The SMP publishes the recipient’s supported document types, processes, endpoint URL, and certificate details.
5. The Access Point sends the document to the matching endpoint.

The OpenPeppol Directory can support initial recipient discovery, but it is not the authoritative routing source. Directory data is separate from live SML/SMP capability lookup, so a recipient may be technically reachable even when no public Directory record is available.

Peppol identifier requirements and validation checks

Most Peppol routing problems come from a wrong scheme code, an incorrectly formatted identifier, outdated SMP metadata, or a recipient that does not support the intended document type.

Use this checklist before sending:

• Confirm that the scheme is active in the latest OpenPeppol Code Lists.
• Validate the identifier value against the selected scheme’s format rules.
• Do not assume a VAT number or company registration number is automatically the recipient’s published Peppol address.
• Retain the scheme and identifier value together; changing prefixes, leading zeroes, spacing, or check digits can break validation.
• Run a live SMP/SML lookup to confirm that the participant is published and reachable.
• Check that the recipient supports the intended document type and business process.
• Use the OpenPeppol Directory for discovery, not as the definitive routing check.
• Record the identifier and lookup result used for each transaction to simplify troubleshooting and audit reviews.

For software platforms handling e-invoices across multiple markets, these checks are easier to manage when validation and routing are built into the invoice workflow. DDD Invoices provides API-first e-invoicing infrastructure and certified Peppol Access Point connectivity, helping platforms exchange compliant e-invoices through a single integration.

Benefits of Peppol identifiers

Peppol identifiers do more than identify a business on the network. By connecting a recipient’s identifier to live service metadata, they help sender systems determine whether the recipient can receive a specific document and how that document should be delivered. This reduces uncertainty in cross-border and multi-provider e-invoicing workflows while supporting more automated, accurate, and traceable delivery.

Here are a few benefits as to why Peppol Identifiers will be useful:

• Enable automated discovery of a recipient’s supported Peppol capabilities.
• Reduce manual errors caused by using the wrong buyer address or identifier scheme.
• Support more reliable document routing between Access Points.
• Help systems select the right document type, process, endpoint, and transport configuration.
• Improve auditability when sender systems retain the ID and lookup outcome used for delivery.

How DDD Invoices supports Peppol ID management

Managing Peppol participant IDs across multiple countries means tracking scheme codes, keeping SMP records synchronised, and validating identifiers at ingestion before a single document moves.

DDD Invoices can support Peppol identifier management through API-based connectivity, including recipient discovery, identifier validation, and delivery workflow controls. Confirm the available functions, certification scope, and country-specific compliance configuration with the DDD Invoices team before implementation.

Check the e-invoicing compliance guide to see how DDD Invoices maps to your specific compliance requirements.

FAQs

What is a Peppol identifier?

A Peppol identifier is a network address used to identify a participant in the Peppol network. It combines an identifier scheme code and value, such as 0088:7300010000001, and helps Access Points locate the recipient’s delivery capabilities.

How do I find a company’s Peppol ID?

Search the OpenPeppol Directory by company name, Peppol ID, country, or supported document capability. Because Directory publication is optional, confirm the recipient’s canonical Participant ID directly with the recipient or its service provider before important deliveries. OpenPeppol Directory

How do I validate a Peppol ID?

Confirm that the scheme is active in the current OpenPeppol Code Lists, validate the identifier value against the scheme’s rules, and perform a live SMP/SML lookup to confirm the recipient can receive the intended document type.

Is a Peppol ID the same as a VAT number?

Not always. A VAT number may be used under a recognised identifier scheme, but it is not automatically the Peppol routing identifier published by a recipient. The correct value depends on the identifier scheme and the recipient’s Peppol configuration.

Why can’t I find a company in the Peppol Directory?

A missing Directory result does not mean the company cannot receive Peppol documents. Directory publication is optional, so a recipient may be available through the SMP/SML infrastructure without being listed publicly. OpenPeppol Directory