Bramvia — Business Central Experts
Peppol and E-Documents in Business Central: how electronic invoices, orders and payments actually flow, and how to set it up
The E-Documents framework is how Business Central sends and receives structured electronic documents — Peppol BIS 3 invoices today, orders and payments since version 29. What an access point is, which one to choose, how incoming invoices become purchase documents automatically, and what it means for Spain, the UK and the US.
Short answer: the E-Documents framework is Business Central's engine for structured electronic documents: it produces a Peppol BIS 3 (UBL) invoice from a posted sales invoice, sends it through an access point to the customer's access point, and receives incoming Peppol invoices and turns them into purchase invoices or orders — matched to your PO, ready for approval, no keying. Version 29 extended it beyond invoices to electronic orders and payment messages on the same rails, and to EDI-style flows for customers who mandate it. You don't build the connection: you pick a certified access point (several are on AppSource), configure the service, and map document types. Below: what each piece is, how to set it up, and what it means in Spain, the UK and the US.
The pieces
| Piece | What it is |
|---|---|
| Peppol | An international network for exchanging business documents, with a standard format (BIS 3, UBL-based) and a four-corner model: your system → your access point → their access point → their system |
| Access point | A certified service provider on the Peppol network. Business Central connects to it; it delivers to any other access point. Examples on AppSource include Avalara, Pagero, Continia and others |
| E-Documents framework | The Business Central module that creates, sends, receives, validates and matches documents through the configured service |
| E-Document service | The configuration record: which format (Peppol BIS 3), which access point, which document types, how incoming documents are handled |
Setup, in order
- Choose an access point with a Business Central connector on AppSource. Criteria: countries covered, price per document, support for orders and payments (not just invoices), and whether they handle national formats you need (Spain's FacturaE, Italy's SDI, Germany's XRechnung).
- Install the connector extension and register with the provider; they give you credentials and your Peppol participant ID.
- E-Document Services → new service: format Peppol BIS 3, the connector, and your credentials. Set Auto-import for incoming documents.
- Document sending profile for customers who receive electronically: assign the service so posting a sales invoice creates and sends the e-document.
- Customers: Peppol participant ID (their electronic address) and the sending profile.
- Vendors: participant ID for matching incoming invoices; receiving setup: whether an incoming invoice creates a purchase invoice, a purchase order, or waits in the inbox for review.
- Company Information: your participant ID and, if required, the scheme.
Outgoing: what happens when you post a sales invoice
Post → the framework builds the BIS 3 XML → validates it against the schema and business rules (missing VAT registration, wrong unit codes, and the like are caught here, before the network) → sends via the access point → status tracked on the e-document: sent, delivered, rejected with the reason. Rejections come back with the rule that failed, which is far more useful than a customer email saying "we didn't get it".
Incoming: the part that removes keying
A vendor's invoice arrives at your access point → the framework imports it → it matches to your purchase order and receipt by vendor, order reference and lines → if it matches within tolerance it becomes a purchase invoice ready to post or approve; if not, it lands in the e-document inbox with the mismatch flagged. Combined with the payables agent, incoming structured invoices are the end of invoice keying.
Version 29: orders and payments
Since 2026 release wave 2, the same framework handles electronic purchase orders and order responses (a customer's Peppol order becomes a sales order in your system; your PO goes to the vendor electronically) and payment messages. That's the point at which Peppol stops being "e-invoicing" and becomes EDI on an open network — relevant for suppliers to retailers and public bodies who mandate it.
What it means by country
- Spain: B2B e-invoicing is coming (the regulation is being finalised alongside Verifactu), with FacturaE as the national format and a public exchange platform. Peppol is used for cross-border and by some access points as the national rail. The E-Documents framework is the same; the format and access point differ. Verifactu and Spain's calendar.
- United Kingdom: no B2B mandate yet; Peppol is used for NHS and public-sector suppliers, and increasingly by large buyers. Making Tax Digital is a separate obligation.
- United States: no mandate; Peppol adoption is early, but large customers increasingly require structured invoices, and the framework is the cheapest way to meet an EDI demand without a legacy VAN.
- Poland: KSeF is its own national system; the framework supports it through the Polish localization. KSeF in Business Central.
FAQ
Is Peppol free? The network is; the access point charges per document or per month. Pennies per document at volume.
Do both parties need an access point? Yes — that's the four-corner model. Your customer's is their problem; yours is a subscription.
What if a customer isn't on Peppol? The framework falls back to PDF by email through the same sending profile. One process, two outputs.
Can incoming invoices post without anyone looking? Only if you configure auto-posting for matched documents. We recommend approval on exceptions and automatic on clean matches.
A customer mandating electronic invoices or EDI? Free assessment, no commitment — we'll pick the access point and configure the flow.