Since 1 January 2026, a Belgian VAT-registered business invoicing another Belgian VAT-registered business must issue a structured electronic invoice, sent through the Peppol network. A PDF sent by e-mail is no longer a valid invoice between professionals.
Is my restaurant affected?
Yes, as soon as you invoice a company: business lunches invoiced to a company, catering for a corporate event, room hire, group orders for an office. The receipt handed to a private customer is not affected: sales to consumers (B2C) remain outside the obligation.
What changes in practice
- The format: the invoice must be a structured file (UBL, Peppol BIS standard), not a PDF or a scan.
- The channel: it goes through a Peppol access point that delivers it straight into the customer's accounting software.
- Receiving: you must also be able to receive your suppliers' invoices (brewery, wholesaler, energy) in the same format.
How to prepare without spending your evenings on it
- Check that your POS or management software is connected to Peppol. This is the key point: without a connection, every invoice has to be re-entered in a third-party tool.
- Collect your business customers' company numbers at order time: this is the Peppol identifier.
- Tell your accountant: they will receive your purchase invoices automatically, which lightens the monthly paperwork.
And with Novaresto?
Novaresto is published by Novadesko, a Peppol-compatible invoicing platform. A business order taken at the POS or online can be turned into an electronic invoice and sent via Peppol without double entry. Receipt, invoice and accounts stay consistent.
Key point: the obligation covers invoices between businesses. If you never invoice a company, nothing changes for you today, but your tool must be ready the day a customer asks for an invoice.