PEPPOL participant identifiers

To send and receive invoices through PEPPOL, your company must register in the PEPPOL network using a participant identifier. The Belgian PEPPOL Authority (BOSA) requires scheme 0208 as the primary identifier.

A PEPPOL participant ID uniquely identifies your company on the PEPPOL network. This identifier lets senders discover your business and route documents to the correct access point. Your access point registers each participant ID in the Service Metadata Publisher (SMP), a directory service that publishes your company's receiving capabilities, including supported document types and the access point responsible for delivery.

Sovos represents participant IDs as company endpoints. Each endpoint holds the full participant identifier structure, the document types your company can receive, and the ERP system ID for notification routing.

A complete PEPPOL participant ID takes this format: iso6523-actorid-upis::0208:0123456789

Participant ID structure


Component	Value	Description
META-SCHEME	iso6523-actorid-upis	Fixed PEPPOL meta-scheme
SCHEME	0208 or 9925	ISO 6523 identifier scheme
IDENTIFIER	Company number	CBE number or VAT number

Belgium participant identifier schemes


Scheme ID	Name	Format	Status
0208	Belgian Enterprise Number (CBE)	10 digits	Mandatory (register first)
9925	Belgian VAT Number	BE + 10 digits	Optional
0088	Global Location Number (GLN)	13 digits	Optional
0060	DUNS Number	9 digits	Optional

Important registration requirements

Every Belgian company must register with scheme 0208 using their Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE/KBO) number.
Create the 0208 endpoint before any optional schemes.
The 9925 (VAT) scheme is the most common secondary identifier but requires the 0208 registration to exist first.
Multiple schemes improve discoverability across different trading contexts and partner requirements.

Note: Attempting to register a 9925 endpoint before the 0208 endpoint exists results in a validation error.

0208 format requirements

The 0208 scheme uses your enterprise number from the Belgian Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE/KBO). Place the scheme 0208 in the schemeID. The identifier must have the 10-digit enterprise number.

Format requirements:

Exactly 10 digits
Numbers only (0-9)
No "BE" prefix
No "0208" prefix in the identifier value

Example: <cbc:EndpointID schemeID="0208">0123456789</cbc:EndpointID>

Common formatting errors:

Including "BE" prefix: BE0123456789 (incorrect)
Including scheme in value: 0208:0123456789 (incorrect)
Using spaces or hyphens: 0123 456 789 or 0123-456-789 (incorrect)

If the format is incorrect, you will receive error PEPPOL-COMMON-R043: "Belgian enterprise number MUST be stated in the correct format."

9925 format requirements

The 9925 scheme uses the full Belgian VAT number including the "BE" prefix. This is the key difference from the 0208 scheme.

Format requirements:

BE + 10 digits
Include the "BE" prefix

Example: <cbc:EndpointID schemeID="9925">BE0123456789</cbc:EndpointID>

For registration steps, see Set up credentials page.

e-invoicing