PEPPOL Network: What role does it play in electronic invoicing in France?
With the electronic invoicing reform in France, new exchange mechanisms are emerging between platforms. Among them, the Peppol network is often mentioned as a technical standard that facilitates interoperability between the different stakeholders.
In this article :
What is the Peppol Network?
The Peppol network (Pan-European Public Procurement Online) is an international infrastructure that enables the standardized exchange of electronic documents between organizations. Initially developed to facilitate exchanges in European public procurement, Peppol is now used in many countries to transmit different types of business documents.
In practical terms, the network can be used to exchange e-invoices, purchase orders, delivery notes, and payment advices, directly between the information systems of companies, public administrations, or digitalization platforms.
To understand its role simply, Peppol can be compared to a highway for electronic documents: companies, administrations, and platforms connect to the network via certified access points, enabling them to exchange documents within a standardized, secure, and interoperable framework. Once on this highway, all players follow the same traffic rules and use the same formats, allowing documents to move in the right direction, reach the right recipient, and be understood without reprocessing—regardless of the system used on the other side.
In other words, thanks to these shared rules, each network participant can send or receive electronic documents without having to build specific connections with every partner (without having to define their own traffic rules or build their own highway). Peppol therefore facilitates exchanges between different systems and organizations, even when they use different technical solutions.
Context: the Peppol Network in the french e-invoicing ecosystem
With the electronic invoicing reform in France, companies will be required to use an approved platform to issue and receive their electronic invoices. For this new system to function efficiently, these platforms must be able to communicate with each other to route invoices to the right recipients.
This is the context in which the Peppol network is often mentioned. Even though connecting to Peppol is not mandatory under the French reform, it is a widely used interoperability standard that can be an advantage for streamlining invoice exchanges—especially in multi-platform or international environments (in other words, platforms can continue to exchange via their own connections, like secondary roads through mountain passes, but they can also choose to use a shared “highway” to simplify and standardize exchanges).
To date, more than half of the approved platforms are also Peppol Access Points.
What role does Peppol play in the french reform?
Interoperability between approved platforms is a requirement of this new e-invoicing law in France.
In this context, the Peppol network appears as an already structured solution for organizing these exchanges, based on a proven infrastructure that is widely adopted across Europe and internationally.
Some platforms therefore choose to connect to Peppol to simplify interconnection with other stakeholders. By relying on shared technical rules and standardized formats, Peppol enables different systems to communicate with each other without multiplying specific integrations.
Conversely, without a shared framework, each platform would have to rely on its own protocols (in a way, developing its own “highways”), which would greatly complicate exchanges and connections between solutions.
When a platform is certified as a Peppol Access Point, it can exchange documents with all other organizations connected to the network—in France and internationally.
How does the Peppol Network work in practice?
The Peppol network operates on a principle of interoperability.
Its operation is based on what is known as the four-corner model. In this model, the sender and the recipient each go through a certified Peppol Access Point. These access points are interconnected according to shared standards, enabling information systems to communicate without requiring a specific connection between each participant.
In practical terms, when a company sends an invoice via a platform connected to Peppol, that invoice can be transmitted to any other organization that is a member of the network. Exchanges rely on standardized protocols and formats, which simplifies communication between platforms, companies, and public administrations—even when they use different systems.
Peppol is therefore not the only way to exchange invoices, but it is a technical standard that can simplify exchanges between platforms connected to the network.
If the recipient’s platform is not connected to the Peppol network, the exchange can take place via the interoperability mechanisms provided under the electronic invoicing framework in France. Platforms are still able to communicate directly with each other using their own means.
Peppol france: governance of the network in france
Since 2025, France has officially integrated the Peppol network into its electronic invoicing framework. The French Directorate General of Public Finances (DGFiP) now ensures national governance of the network through the Peppol France entity.
This governance notably involves supervising network use in France, issuing Peppol IDs, and approving the Peppol Access Points used by platforms operating in France. The goal is to ensure that exchanges carried out via the network meet French technical and regulatory requirements.
Peppol France therefore acts as a link between the international OpenPeppol organization and the French electronic invoicing ecosystem. This coordination helps ensure consistency in electronic document exchanges while also guaranteeing compliance with the tax and technical requirements defined under the French reform.
Why the Peppol Network can be a selection criterion for your platform
When choosing an approved platform, companies often focus on regulatory or functional aspects. However, certain technical criteria can also have a major impact on how smoothly electronic invoices are exchanged.
Among these criteria, it can be useful to check several elements: interoperability with other approved platforms, supported invoicing formats, the solution’s ability to communicate easily with different information systems, and its openness to international exchanges.
Connecting to the Peppol network can therefore be an advantage. A platform connected to Peppol can exchange electronic documents with all organizations that are members of the network, making it easier to work with many partners, including in multi-platform or international environments.
For companies with partners in several countries, or those looking to rely on technical standards that are already widely used in Europe, compatibility with the Peppol network may be an additional factor when selecting an electronic invoicing platform.
Some electronic invoicing platforms, such as Open Bee, are also Peppol Access Points, enabling direct integration with this international exchange network.
Open Bee: a complete and interoperable platform
Open Bee is a combined DMS + approved platform (meaning it brings together a Document Management System (DMS) and an approved electronic invoicing platform), which means it covers end-to-end document management beyond electronic invoicing alone. This approach makes it possible to centralize, secure, and automate document management within a single environment.
Historically, Open Bee is recognized for its ability to integrate with company information systems, via APIs or preconfigured connectors with business tools such as ERPs, HR software, and accounting solutions.
As part of the reform in France, this interoperability also extends to platform-to-platform exchanges: Open Bee is a Peppol Access Point, facilitating invoice exchanges in France and internationally.
Finally, the platform benefits from SecNumCloud hosting in France, in partnership with Orange Business, ensuring a high level of security and compliance.
In an environment where multiple platforms coexist, using a standard such as Peppol can help secure and sustainably simplify exchanges.
The Peppol network plays an important role in the electronic invoicing ecosystem by facilitating interoperability between organizations, platforms, and information systems. Even though it is not mandatory under the French reform, it is now a widely used standard for simplifying electronic document exchanges—particularly in multi-platform or international environments.
Understanding how Peppol works helps companies better grasp the technical mechanisms that underpin the circulation of electronic invoices. When choosing an approved platform, compatibility with this network can be an additional criterion to ensure smooth and open exchanges across the entire digital ecosystem.
