Peppol identifiers, EndpointID and buyer references

A number placed in the wrong field can produce a well-formed invoice that the recipient cannot use. In Peppol exchange, electronic addresses, tax identifiers and buyer references serve different purposes. Request billing details in a form that names each field rather than providing an unexplained list of numbers.

Address and scheme belong together

The UBL element EndpointID holds the electronic address; its schemeID attribute identifies the addressing scheme. Interpret the value together with that scheme. Do not invent a prefix from the country or remove a leading zero by converting the identifier to a number. Use the official code list applicable to the profile.

Internal references have another role

A buyer reference supports internal routing or commercial matching. In a German public-sector context, the customer’s instructions may require a Leitweg-ID; this does not make it the Peppol address to copy into every identifier field. A purchase order reference likewise belongs in its designated field.

Local checks and actual receipt

A validator can detect a missing scheme or certain invalid formats. It cannot prove that the address is registered to receive the required document type. Ask your provider to confirm registration and receiving capabilities, then test an exchange with the actual customer. Keep the confirmation together with the parameters used so that later distribution problems can be investigated.

Check your own case reproducibly

Work on a copy first and retain the unchanged original. Record the expected result, the action actually performed and the software version used. Afterwards, compare the document number, parties, currency and amounts with the original invoice. Investigate any difference before reusing the result. A small anonymised example is more useful for diagnosing a failure than indiscriminately sharing complete customer records. Repeat the test after changing an export setting and, where relevant, confirm that the actual business partner can receive and process the resulting document.

Sources and next steps

• OpenPeppol : identifier policy.
• Peppol : electronic address.