Peppol BIS Billing 3.0

Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 is the standard specification for invoices and credit notes on the Peppol network. It profiles UBL 2.1 to comply with the European e-invoicing norm EN 16931 and adds Peppol-specific validation rules.

What the specification covers

Documents: invoice and credit note (UBL 2.1 syntax).
Business rules: EN 16931 rules plus Peppol (PEPPOL-EN16931-*) rules — VAT category logic, totals arithmetic, code list checks.
Identifiers: seller/buyer electronic addresses using EAS scheme codes.
National extensions: countries add CIUS rules on top (XRechnung in Germany, NLCIUS in the Netherlands); the network also carries PINT profiles outside Europe.

Validation in practice

Validation happens twice: your Access Point validates before sending, and the receiving side may validate again. Failing documents never enter the network. Use the validator to test files against the current rule release before you go live.

Updated: August 29, 2026

Frequently asked questions

Is BIS Billing 3.0 the same as EN 16931?

BIS Billing 3.0 is a CIUS (Core Invoice Usage Specification) of EN 16931 — a compliant, more tightly specified subset. Every valid BIS invoice is a valid EN 16931 invoice.

How do I check whether my invoice is valid?

Validate the XML against the official Schematron rules — the free validator on this site runs exactly those rule sets.