Belgium’s E-Invoicing Grace Period: A Smart Window for SMBs to Begin Preparations

Good news for SMBs, and a practical reason to explore your Peppol options before January.

Based on recent guidance from FPS Finance, Belgium is expected to offer a 3-month tolerance period for the B2B e-invoicing mandate taking effect January 1st, 2026. For SMBs, this offers welcome flexibility with one important consideration.

The tolerance period appears to apply to businesses that can demonstrate their compliance journey has already begun before the deadline.

This isn’t about rushing to go live. It’s about taking a sensible first step now, so you can complete your implementation calmly in Q1, with peace of mind.

In this article, we share our understanding of what FPS Finance announced, and how Babelway, the Belgian platform behind Mercurius, the country’s official B2G e-invoicing system, can help you get started.

Please note: Regulations and enforcement details may continue to evolve. We recommend consulting official FPS Finance communications and, where appropriate, your legal or tax advisor for guidance specific to your situation.

If you’re not already using Babelway as your certified Peppol Access Point in Belgium, this is your sign to start. Try it out for yourself for free for 30 days. 

​​The tolerance period: What we understand from FPS Finance

On December 2nd, 2025, the Federal Public Service Finance (FPS Finance) provided clarity on enforcement of the upcoming mandate. Based on this guidance:

The takeaway: December offers a practical opportunity to take the first step — not to finish, but to begin.

Why Babelway? The platform behind Belgium’s official e-Invoicing infrastructure

Babelway isn’t new to Belgian e-invoicing. We’ve been at the centre of it from the beginning.

Certified Peppol Access Point Since 2014

Babelway was one of the first platforms in Europe to achieve Peppol certification — and we’ve maintained it for over a decade. When you connect through Babelway, you’re using proven, trusted infrastructure.

Powering Mercurius: Belgium’s B2G E-Invoicing Platform

The Belgian government chose Babelway technology to power Mercurius, the official platform for business-to-government (B2G) electronic invoicing in Belgium.

If you’ve ever sent an e-invoice to a Belgian public authority, there’s a good chance it was routed through infrastructure we built.

Built for SMBs, but with a team that actually helps

Babelway is a self-service platform. You can configure your own Peppol mappings using our visual, no-code interface.

But here’s what we’ve learned:

Most SMBs prefer to have our team handle it. And honestly? That’s what we’re known for.

What our customers say about working with us

“I see many benefits in working with Babelway, such as reducing the time to onboard a customer, and reducing manual work. We do know our way around the Babelway platform, but only for simple changes. If it gets too complex, we just send an email to support.” – Kurt Brouns, IT manager, Brewery Martens

“Our experience has been nothing short of great. The Babelway team is composed of experts who truly understand the complexities of EDI. They’re always available to help, and their professionalism is top-notch.” – Bruno Speleers, Administration, Finance & IT Director, Delitraiteur

How it works when our team handles it:

1. You sign up: Quick onboarding to get started
2. We configure: Our team builds your Peppol mappings and flows
3. We test: End-to-end validation before you go live
4. You’re connected: Start sending and receiving Peppol invoices
5. We maintain: Ongoing support as your needs evolve

No IT team required. No complex project. Just a partner who gets it done.

Enterprise businesses who deal with intricate e-invoicing processes, multi-market operations, and a demand for more than just basic compliance will benefit from Tradeshift’s AP automation platform. Explore more.

Self-Service? Absolutely — If that’s your style

For SMBs with some technical confidence, Babelway’s platform is fully self-service:

• Visual, drag-and-drop flow builder
• Pre-configured Peppol templates
• Built-in format conversion and validation
• Step-by-step guidance

Receiving invoices via Peppol:

1. Enter your Peppol ID
2. Select the document types you’ll accept
3. Deploy

Sending invoices via Peppol:

1. Set up your connection protocol
2. Map your invoice format to Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 (or we do it for you)
3. Select Peppol Gateway OUT
4. Deploy

Watch below how simple it is to do the mapping on your own

Check out our Peppol guide for a more in-depth description of what Peppol is and how you can use it for your business.

The December opportunity

The indicated tolerance period creates a practical window for SMBs to begin preparations:

Try Babelway free for 30 days

The Belgian B2B e-invoicing mandate is on the horizon, and the indicated tolerance period offers SMBs a practical reason to begin exploring their Peppol options now.

Babelway, a Certified Peppol Access Point since 2014, powering Belgium’s official Mercurius platform, is here to help you take that first step.

Whether you prefer to configure things yourself or have our team handle everything, we make it simple.

Check out our Peppol guide for a more in-depth description of what Peppol is and how you can use it for your business.

Start exploring today. Take your time in Q1. Enter 2026 with confidence.

You’ve arrived until here but are a business with more complex operations and in need of AP Automation workflows beyond compliance? Tradeshift might be more suitable for you.

Related Blog articles

• https://www.babelway.com/resources/blog/belgium-e-invoicing-2026-smbs-peppol-babelway/ 
• https://www.babelway.com/resources/guides-ebooks/babelway-peppol-guide/
• https://www.babelway.com/resources/news/babelway-joins-peppol/   
• https://www.babelway.com/resources/case-studies/yonderland-frees-employees-for-strategic-work-with-b2b-integration-platform/