{"id":29197,"date":"2026-08-17T11:00:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T11:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bilnex.io\/en\/peppol-invoice-without-xml\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T11:00:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T11:00:01","slug":"peppol-rekins-bez-xml-3","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bilnex.io\/lv\/peppol-rekins-bez-xml-3\/","title":{"rendered":"K\u0101 nos\u016bt\u012bt Peppol r\u0113\u0137inu, nerakstot XML"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Short answer: use a form, not an XML editor<\/h2>\n

No, a small business does not need to write XML to send a Peppol invoice. A Peppol invoice is a structured data file that follows the Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 specification<\/a>. That means an invoice whose fields are machine-readable: a computer can process them automatically, without anyone retyping the numbers by hand. You fill in an ordinary invoice form in your e-invoicing or accounting software: customer name, amounts, VAT, due date. The software builds the XML file itself and sends it across the Peppol network. On 17 August 2026, a new version of BIS Billing 3.0<\/a> became mandatory, so it’s worth checking that your operator is running the latest set of validation rules.<\/p>\n

Your job stops at entering ordinary invoice data. If a client or operator tells you the invoice “failed validation,” that doesn’t mean you need to fix XML code by hand. It means a field in the form is missing or wrong, and you need to go back and check it there.<\/p>\n

What Peppol is, and what it isn’t<\/h2>\n

Peppol is a secure network that carries structured invoices from one system to another. Peppol itself isn’t software, and it isn’t a form you fill in. Think of it as a postal service for invoices. Whatever travels on that network has to follow the Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 rules<\/a>, which set out exactly which data fields an invoice needs and how they’re structured. That structure is called UBL (Universal Business Language), one of the most common XML-based invoice formats. XML (Extensible Markup Language) is simply a machine-readable file format computers use to exchange data; you’ll usually never see it.<\/p>\n

A Peppol invoice is not the same thing as a PDF invoice emailed to a client, and it’s not the same as filing a VAT return with the tax authority. These are three separate obligations: sending the invoice to the customer, making the data machine-readable, and reporting figures to the state. They often happen together, but they don’t have to.<\/p>\n

What to check before you create the invoice<\/h2>\n

Before you open the invoice screen, run through this:<\/p>\n