On this page, we list the Peppol rule changes per release: what changes, what it means for Belgian invoices and what you need to do. OpenPeppol usually publishes a new release twice a year, in May and in November. That way, you understand why an invoice that used to be valid now gives an error, or the other way round.
Announced: European validation artefacts 1.3.17
On 9 October 2026, the European standardisation committee (CEN) published version 1.3.17 of the validation artefacts for EN 16931. This is not a new standard, but new rules that check whether an invoice follows the standard. Peppol usually includes such a version in its November release, with a transition period of about three months. So for Peppol, rules 1.3.16 still apply today. What follows is our own comparison of the rule files 1.3.16 and 1.3.17 from the official release, checked with test invoices.
| EN 16931 1.3.17 | |
|---|---|
| Published by CEN | 9 October 2026 |
| In Peppol | expected in the November 2026 release |
| Mandatory from | not yet known |
| Test now | in our e-invoice validator, under Advanced |
In short for Belgian invoices
UBL-SR-25becomes stricter: if the invoice contains a deliver-to party (DeliveryParty), it must have exactly one name. A deliver-to party with only a number, such as a warehouse code, becomes an error. The official message still says “maximum once”, but the check now requires exactly one name.UBL-SR-57: the legal details of a party (PartyLegalEntity) may occur at most once.UBL-SR-58: a financial institution branch must contain exactly one BIC.- Notable:
BR-CO-09no longer accepts the Greek VAT prefix EL, even though the rule description still allows it. We tested it: an invoice with a Greek VAT number such as EL094259216 is valid with 1.3.16 and gives an error with 1.3.17. - The Belgian schemes for the Peppol address remain unchanged: 0208 and 9925.
Other changes
- Spain: the rules for the Canary Islands (IGIC) and Ceuta and Melilla (IPSI) are now called
BR-IGandBR-IPinstead ofBR-AFandBR-AG. 19 Spanish exemption codes (VATEX-ES) are added. - CII: an attachment must have a mime type and a file name, an invoice may contain at most one payment card and one direct debit mandate, and some calculation rules now compute correctly with decimal numbers.
- Code lists: the currency of Sao Tome and Principe is now STN instead of STD, identification schemes 0249, 0250 and 0251 are added, Peppol address scheme 9960 is added while 0219 and 0220 are removed, and there are 18 new units.
Test it now
- Open the e-invoice validator with rules 1.3.17 and drop your invoice in the box. You can also select them yourself under Advanced, in the group “Announced, not yet mandatory”.
- In the result, click “What changes for this invoice?”. The validator then also checks your invoice with today’s rules and only shows the differences.
- Try the test invoices: deliver-to party without a name and invoice to a Greek customer.
May 2026 release: Peppol BIS Billing 3.0.21
| May 2026 release | |
|---|---|
| Published | 20 May 2026 |
| Mandatory from | 17 August 2026 |
| European rules (EN 16931) | validation artefacts 1.3.16 |
| Previous release | 3.0.20, mandatory since 23 February 2026 |
In short for Belgian invoices
- Rule BR-CO-25 has been removed: under the rules, a due date or payment terms are no longer mandatory. Still state them, because they help your customer pay.
- A SEPA creditor identifier no longer counts as seller identification for BR-CO-26. So state the VAT number or the company number.
- The Belgian schemes for the Peppol address remain unchanged: 0208 (company number) and 9925 (VAT number).
- Every message now starts with the rule code, such as
[BR-CO-15]-.... As a result, you see right away which rule fails. - There are no new Belgian rules. Most other changes concern Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany and France.
Rules that are removed
BR-CO-25 required a due date (BT-9) or payment terms (BT-20) as soon as an amount is still due. The rule was taken out of the European validation rules. However, anyone who still validates with older rules does still get the error.
New rules
UBL-SR-56: an invoice may contain at most one tender or lot reference (BT-17).PEPPOL-COMMON-R054toPEPPOL-COMMON-R057: warnings on the format of Dutch identifiers (schemes 0106, 0190, 0217 and 9944, and Dutch VAT numbers). According to the release notes, they will become errors later.DE-R-T02: a warning for German invoices about the link to an external attachment (BT-124).
Stricter: from warning to error
Four Danish rules become errors: PEPPOL-COMMON-R052 and PEPPOL-COMMON-R053 (format of Danish identifiers), DK-R-003 and DK-R-017. They do not affect Belgian invoices, unless you have Danish customers or suppliers.
Changed checks
- PEPPOL-EN16931-R004 checks the CustomizationID more strictly. The value must start with the Peppol specification and follow the format rules for that identifier. New tests give an error for version information that does not belong there.
PEPPOL-EN16931-R007accepts two temporary French profiles, for the French reform.PEPPOL-EN16931-P0100andP0101take the new, optional profile 02 into account. That profile is meant for invoices on which the buyer must send a response (Invoice Response), and requires a separate registration.- The German rules (
DE-R-) now explicitly apply only when both the supplier and the customer are located in Germany.
Code lists
- Currencies: the Bulgarian lev (BGN) has been removed, because Bulgaria has used the euro since 1 January 2026. The Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG) has been replaced by the Caribbean guilder (XCG).
- Peppol address (EAS): according to the release notes, 14 schemes have been removed: 0037, 0147, 0154, 0170, 0177, 0193, 0194, 0202, 0203, 0205, 0212, 0213, 0215 and 0217.
- Identifier schemes (ICD): 0246, 0247 and 0248 have been added.
What should you do?
- Ask your software vendor or Access Point whether they use the rules of May 2026. From 17 August 2026, they are mandatory.
- Check a few invoices in our Peppol validator. It uses the rules of May 2026.
- Do you use a SEPA creditor identifier as the only identification of your company? Then add your VAT number or company number.
November 2025 release: Peppol BIS Billing 3.0.20
This release was published on 24 November 2025 and has been mandatory since 23 February 2026. It uses the European validation artefacts 1.3.15.
- In the Peppol BIS document, the sentence stating that an image of the invoice, such as a PDF, is not compliant as an attachment was removed.
- New Danish rules
PEPPOL-COMMON-R052,PEPPOL-COMMON-R053andDK-R-017, at first as warnings. - Rule
PEPPOL-COMMON-R084was removed. - Code lists updated, with new codes in EAS, ICD, ISO 4217 and VATEX.
How we check the changes
We start from the official release notes of Peppol BIS Billing 3.0. In addition, we compare the official rule files of both releases rule by rule: which rules were added or removed, which became stricter and which codes in the lists changed. Moreover, we test every change that matters with a test invoice. That is how we found that an invoice without a due date gives error BR-CO-25 under the rules of November 2025, but no longer under those of May 2026.
Check your invoice against the latest rules
The free validator uses the Peppol rules of May 2026. Every message links to its explanation.
Frequently asked questions about the Peppol rule changes
What is EN 16931 1.3.17 and do I need to act now?
It is a new version of the European validation artefacts, published on 9 October 2026. It is not mandatory yet. Do test your invoices with it in our validator, so you know in time whether your software needs changes.
When are the rules of May 2026 mandatory?
From 17 August 2026. Until then, Access Points could also still use the previous release (3.0.20).
Why do I still get BR-CO-25?
Then your software or Access Point still validates with older rules. Ask when they will use the May 2026 release, and state a due date in the meantime.
Does anything change for the Belgian Peppol address?
No. Schemes 0208 (company number) and 9925 (VAT number) remain valid.
How often do the Peppol rules change?
Usually twice a year, in May and in November. Each release has a transition period of about three months.