What if your client is not yet on Peppol?
You have done everything right — you have Peppol-compatible invoicing software and your ID is registered on the network. But then you go to send an invoice to a client and it turns out they are not yet connected to Peppol. What now?
Does that really happen?
Yes, and more often than you might think. At the end of November 2025, approximately 515,000 out of the 1.18 million Belgian VAT-registered businesses were registered on Peppol — less than half. Although that number has risen since, there are still many businesses that are not (correctly) connected.
What happens when your client does not have a Peppol ID?
If your client is not on Peppol, the invoice cannot be delivered digitally via the network. Good invoicing software handles this with a fallback: the invoice is then sent by e-mail as a PDF instead.
This is a practical interim solution that prevents your invoice from simply not arriving. However, it is not an ideal situation — your client is also legally required to be able to receive e-invoices. If they cannot, they are not in compliance with the law.
Is it your responsibility?
No. You are responsible for sending the invoice correctly. If you have offered the invoice via Peppol and your client is not reachable on the network, the responsibility lies with your client. It is their duty to connect to Peppol.
That said, in practice you simply want your invoice to arrive and get paid. A brief message to your client — "it's time you got on Peppol too, otherwise I can't send you a compliant invoice" — is never a bad idea.
How do you check whether a client is on Peppol?
In Cleero, you simply enter your client's VAT number when creating an invoice. The software automatically checks whether that client is reachable on Peppol. If so, the invoice is sent via Peppol. If not, it falls back to e-mail.
What if a client refuses to connect?
That is a business discussion you need to have with your client. Legally, the situation is clear: both parties are required to be able to exchange e-invoices. If your client refuses or endlessly postpones the switch to Peppol, they risk fines from the SPF Finance. That is their problem, not yours.
What you can do is inform your client about the obligation and the tools available. Many businesses simply do not know where to start. A friendly nudge in the right direction — with a link to a straightforward tool — can resolve the problem quickly.
In short: make sure you are compliant, and the rest will follow. Start free with Cleero and send your first Peppol invoice today.