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Electronic invoicing

In the Brussels Capital Region, electronic invoicing is gradually being imposed for public procurement contracts with regional and local administrations. This obligation is part of a drive to simplify and optimise the purchasing process, and to increase efficiency and transparency for both suppliers and administrations.

What is an electronic invoice?

An electronic invoice is an invoice that has been submitted, transmitted and received in a structured digital form that allows automatic, electronic processing.

Please note: invoices sent in other formats (pdf, xls, xml, etc.), by email or via standard invoicing software, are not considered electronic invoices.

Who is affected?

Electronic invoicing is now External linkmandatory for:

  • Any public contract awarded with a regional administration of the Brussels Capital Region
  • Public contracts over €3,000 awarded with local administrations in the Brussels Capital region. 

How does it actually work?

diagram of the route taken by an electronic invoice via the Peppol network

Europe has established a standard format and a secure network for structured invoices: the UBL-XML format and the Peppol network. The combination of these two elements enables large-scale use of electronic invoicing.

As a company, your invoices must be sent via the European Peppol network.
There are several access points to this network: through the company’s ERP system, its accounting software, or by using the Mercurius portal.
As a public administration, you receive invoices via the Mercurius portal, using the Fidus interface.

The benefits of electronic invoicing

Electronic invoicing offers many advantages for both administrations and businesses: 

  1. The structured electronic form guarantees a secure framework: the dematerialised document is sent from the supplier to the administration via a traceable and protected platform.
  2. This fully automated system not only avoids any human error in encoding or addressing, but also ensures that your invoices are monitored.
  3. Electronic invoicing is accessible for everyone, from the self-employed to SMEs and large companies. 
The electronic invoicingOpens in a new window

Find out more in this video

How do you send electronic invoices?

Useful links and documents

Consult our guide to electronic invoicing

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