How to choose a Peppol Access Point
Choose an Access Point on six criteria — certification and own infrastructure, public pricing, exit terms (no lock-in), data privacy and residency, country and format coverage, and integration options. Ask every candidate the same questions and compare in writing.
The checklist
- Certification & infrastructure — is the provider itself a certified Service Provider running its own Access Point, or reselling someone else’s?
- Pricing transparency — is the full price list public? Are receive fees charged? What does a document cost at your volume?
- Exit terms — how fast can you move your Peppol ID to another provider? Days is good; “contact sales” is a warning sign.
- Data handling — where is data hosted, how long are copies retained, is there a DPA and security certification (ISO 27001)?
- Coverage — the countries, document types and local CIUS/PINT variants you need today and in your expansion plans.
- Integration options — portal, e-mail gateway, CSV, API, and connectors for your actual software.
The four provider archetypes, compared
Most offers on the market fall into one of four archetypes. Apply the checklist to each and the trade-offs become predictable:
| Hosted certified provider | Enterprise EDI suite | Reseller / middleman | Build your own AP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time to first document | Same day — account, ID, send | Weeks–months (project, onboarding team) | Days, depends on upstream provider | 6–12 months incl. certification |
| Receiving cost | Often free (it is at Verteco) | Bundled into contract value | Marked-up per document | Your infrastructure cost |
| Price transparency | Public price list | Quote after discovery call | Two margins stacked, rarely public | Fully known, fully yours |
| Who runs the infrastructure | The provider, on its own certified AP | The vendor (sometimes via partners) | Someone else entirely — an extra hop in every delivery | You, including 24/7 ops and AS4 upkeep |
| Mandate & format upkeep | Provider tracks mandates, ships new BIS/PINT profiles | Vendor roadmap decides timing | Waits on the upstream provider | Your team reads every release note |
| Exit | Move your Peppol ID in days | Contract negotiation | Depends on two contracts | N/A — you are the provider |
The archetypes are honest simplifications: a good enterprise suite is the right call for a 50-country corporation with an EDI team, and building your own Access Point makes sense for a software vendor at very large volume. For everyone else, a hosted certified provider is the shortest, cheapest and most reversible path — which is the model Verteco runs.
This methodology page deliberately names no competitors — apply the checklist to every candidate, including Verteco.
Updated: August 29, 2026