What the Peppol network is and why it matters for e-invoicing
Peppol is an international network for the electronic exchange of business documents. We explain how it works and the role a certified postman (Access Point) plays in it.
Peppol is an open international network through which companies exchange invoices in the standardised UBL 2.1 / EN 16931 format — without e-mail and without paper. It works on a 4-corner model: you → your certified postman (Access Point) → the recipient's postman → the recipient. From 2027 it is the mandatory way to deliver domestic B2B invoices in Slovakia.
Peppol in brief
Peppol (Pan-European Public Procurement OnLine) is an open network for the electronic exchange of business documents. It was originally created for public procurement; today it is used for B2B and B2G invoicing across Europe.
How does Peppol work?
Peppol works on the principle of the 4-corner model:
- Sender — your company, which sends the invoice.
- Sender's Access Point (postman) — a certified provider that sends the invoice into the network. In Efakturia we handle this for you.
- Recipient's Access Point — the recipient's postman.
- Recipient — the company receiving the invoice.
Every company has its own Peppol identifier (in Slovakia it is the Company ID (IČO) in scheme 0158). When you want to send an invoice, all you need to know is the recipient's Company ID (IČO) — the postman and the Peppol network take care of delivery.
What a Slovak postman also handles
Besides delivery through Peppol, a certified Slovak postman also takes care of data reporting to the Financial Administration (Finančná správa), which is mandatory from 2027. Under Section 85o(11), this obligation is fulfilled by handing the invoice over to the delivery service — so you do not report the data manually.
Benefits of Peppol
- Standardised format — UBL 2.1 under the EN 16931 standard.
- Automatic processing — invoices are imported directly into the accounting system.
- Security — encrypted transmission, verified identities.
- International reach — works across the EU and in other countries.
- No paper — 100 % digital.
How to get started with Peppol?
Sign up at efakturia.sk, fill in your company details and activate Peppol in the Peppol section. Signing up takes less than 5 minutes.