A PDF invoice is technically not an e-invoice: the data is not in a structured format and accuracy cannot be guaranteed by scan recognition alone. Yet eConnect offers a solution for sending PDF invoices via Peppol. The PSB recognises the PDF via the IDR (Intelligent Document Recognizer), validates the essential fields against the metadata you supply, and converts it into a valid e-invoice.

How it works: you send the PDF together with a set of control metadata (invoice number, amounts, recipient). The IDR recognises the invoice and compares the recognition with your metadata. Does everything match? Then the invoice is sent. Does it not match? Then you receive a notification.

Two submission methods

There are two ways to submit a PDF invoice to the PSB. Both methods require the same metadata.

Method 1: via e-mail

Send the PDF as an attachment to the secured e-mail address of your PSB tenant. In the body of the e-mail, place the control metadata in Markdown format:

[factuurnummer](INV-2026-0042)
[totaalfactuur](1.250,00)
[totaalbtw](262,50)
[ontvangerSchemeId](0106)
[ontvangerIdentifier](12345678)
[ontvangerNaam](Voorbeeldbedrijf B.V.)
[ontvangerEmail]([email protected])

The tags in square brackets are agreed upon during the initial setup. It is important that these do not change once the connection is live.

Note: The exact e-mail address and available tags are configured per customer by eConnect. Contact TechSupport for the initial configuration.

Method 2: via the GenericSend API

Send the PDF to the GenericSend API and supply the metadata as metaAttributen (key-value pairs):

{
  "factuurnummer": "INV-2026-0042",
  "totaalfactuur": "1250,00",
  "totaalbtw": "262,50",
  "ontvangerSchemeId": "0106",
  "ontvangerIdentifier": "12345678"
}

When submitting via the API you receive a documentId in return. You can link this ID to the invoice in your own software package, so you can track the status of the submission. You can also supply your own documentId.

Required metadata

The following fields are required at minimum:

Field

Description

factuurnummer

The unique invoice number

totaalfactuur

The total invoice amount including VAT

totaalbtw

The total VAT amount

ontvangerSchemeId

The Peppol scheme ID of the recipient (e.g. 0106 for KvK)

ontvangerIdentifier

The identification number of the recipient (e.g. KvK number)

ontvangerNaam

The name of the recipient

Additional tags can be added in consultation.

Processing flow

After receipt, the PDF goes through the following steps:

Recognition: the IDR recognises the PDF invoice and converts it into an XML invoice (UBL)
Routing fields: the recipient data from the metadata is transferred to the XML
Validation: the control metadata is compared with the values recognised by the IDR
Sending or notification: if validation succeeds, the invoice is sent via Peppol (or another configured delivery method). If validation fails, you receive a notification

Error notifications

If validation does not succeed (for example because the recognised amount differs from the supplied amount), there are three ways to receive a notification:

Method

Description

E-mail

A technical error message by e-mail. The receiving address can be hardcoded, extracted from the XML or metadata, or be the sender's address

Webhook

When using the API you can configure a webhook address. The PSB sends a status update so you can update the status in your own software

Platform

The error message is also visible in the eConnect platform for the relevant document

Invoice lines

With line recognition, the IDR only passes through the invoice lines if the sum of the line amounts matches the total excluding VAT. If the lines do not match, the IDR places the total per VAT category as an invoice line in the XML. Do you want the invoice to fail instead of being sent in that case? This is configurable.

Important: An invoice that has failed cannot be corrected afterwards and sent automatically. The only option is to upload the XML manually via the platform.

When to use PDF via Peppol?

This solution is intended for situations where the invoice source cannot generate a structured format, but you still want to send via Peppol. Typical scenarios:

Software packages that only support PDF export
Hybrid environments where part of the invoice flow is already digital and part still runs on PDF
Phased migration to full e-invoicing

For the best quality and reliability, it is always recommended to deliver directly in UBL format via the API.

Want to set up PDF via Peppol? Get in touch with our team for the initial configuration.

Request configuration