How Belgian SMBs Can Prepare for the 2026 E-Invoicing Mandate with Babelway

Starting January 1st, 2026, all VAT-registered businesses in Belgium will be required to issue and receive structured electronic invoices for B2B transactions via Peppol.

Paper and PDF invoices, even if sent via email, will no longer be legally accepted. This move is part of Belgium’s commitment to fight VAT fraud, accelerate digital adoption, and align with the EU’s VAT in the Digital Age (ViDA) strategy.

If you’re a small or medium-sized business (SMB), this might sound like yet another complex regulation to worry about. But it doesn’t have to be. Babelway offers a simple and cost-effective way to connect to the Peppol network,  the cornerstone of Belgium’s new e-invoicing framework, without needing internal IT resources or custom development.

If you’re not already using Babelway as your EDI and B2B integration tool in Belgium, this is your sign to start. Try it out for yourself for free for 30 days. 

What does the mandate mean for your business?

From 2026 onward, every Belgian business with a valid VAT number must:

• Send and receive B2B invoices in Peppol BIS 3.0 (EN 16931) format
• Use a certified Peppol Access Point, such as Babelway
• Abandon unstructured methods like PDFs, email attachments, or traditional EDI

The new rules apply to all B2B transactions, regardless of the size of your company. Even if you’re not sending many invoices, you must still be able to receive compliant electronic invoices from suppliers.

Babelway: The smart choice for SMBs in Belgium

Babelway is a Belgian-based, cloud-native platform that enables businesses of all sizes to send, receive, and transform electronic documents. We’ve been part of the Peppol network since 2014, and our technology is trusted by governments like Belgium and Luxembourg for their public e-invoicing platforms.

But our focus is also on small and medium-sized companies who need to stay compliant without the complexity and cost of enterprise EDI tools.

With Babelway, you get:

• A certified Peppol Access Point
• No-code setup and easy onboarding
• Pre-configured templates for sending and receiving invoices
• Built-in format conversion and validation
• Affordable pricing tailored for SMBs

Connect to Peppol in just a few steps with Babelway

If you find this video interesting, you can watch the full version here

For existing Babelway customers in Belgium, receiving compliant B2B e-invoices is a simple, three-step process:

1. Enter your Peppol ID.
2. Choose the document types you wish to support on Peppol.
3. Deploy.

Setting up your Peppol gateway in Babelway is straightforward. You just need to provide your identification details and specify the document types you will accept.

Peppol uses standardized documents, enabling the exchange of various file formats. 

Although many options are available, all are based on the UBL standard XML. In addition to configuring the Peppol gateway, you will need to customize the messages you send and receive. This involves utilizing UBL standard documents and converting them to or from formats compatible with your system.

Sending invoices that comply with the Belgian e-invoicing mandate is even easier:

1. Set up your preferred connection protocol for sending invoices.
2. (Optional) Convert your invoice format to the PEPPOL Billing 3.0 Standard.
3. Select the PEPPOL Gateway OUT.
4. Deploy.

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. [go to bottom of page]

What Is Peppol and why should you care?

Peppol (Pan-European Public Procurement Online) is a standardized, secure network that connects businesses and public authorities for electronic document exchange. It’s already in use across 98 countries and supports over 1.4 million participants.

Peppol helps you:

• Avoid complex partner setups: One connection lets you communicate with all participants in the network.
  
• Ensure compliance and interoperability: Standardized formats (Peppol BIS 3.0) eliminate errors and manual processing.
• Gain full visibility and traceability: Built-in validation and routing ensure secure delivery and audit-readiness.

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

Why act now?

While 2026 may sound distant, waiting too long can put your business at risk of falling out of compliance. Setting up now means you’ll have:

• Time to test your setup
  
• No last-minute disruptions
  
• A competitive edge through automation and faster invoice processing

Try Babelway free for 30 days

Whether you need to send just a few invoices a month or manage growing document flows, Babelway helps you meet the Belgian e-invoicing mandate with zero friction.

Which solution is best for your business?

We offer two solutions for e-Invoicing compliance: Tradeshift and Babelway.   (Tradeshift owns Babelway).

Which is best for you?

Babelway is usually most suitable if you’re:

• Looking for e-Invoice compliance in Belgium only
• You’re a small or medium-sized business
• You’re happy to set up yourself (it’s easy!)

Tradeshift is usually most suitable if:

• Your e-Invoice compliance needs are multi-country
• You are a large or an enterprise company with global operations
• You have a complex setup (e.g., requires integration with one or more ERP)
• You have complex AP requirements (e.g,. you need auto routing of invoices).

For Babelway, you can either contact Babelway’s sales team or go straight into a free 30-day trial.

For Tradeshift, you can contact Tradeshift’s sales.