How to find a client's PEPPOL ID
What a PEPPOL ID is
PEPPOL is the international network e-invoices travel across borders on. Every participant has an address there — a participant identifier made of two parts:
<scheme code>:<company identifier>The scheme code says which country's register is involved. For Estonian companies it is 0191 — the Estonian registry code.
The company identifier is the registry code itself.
So an Estonian company's PEPPOL ID looks like 0191:12345678.
How to check a client's identifier
Ask the client
The fastest route. Their accountant or IT person knows it; often it is on their own invoices and in the contract.
Search the public directory
The public PEPPOL directory at directory.peppol.eu/public lets you search by name, address or identifier. If the company is there, you see its participant identifier and which documents it accepts.
Check the Estonian business registry
For an Estonian company the simplest identifier is the registry code itself. Whether they accept e-invoices is marked in the business registry — and X7 shows it on the invoice form with an e-invoice mark.
Send an e-invoice to a clientWhen the client is not found
They are not registered as a recipient. Then an e-invoice cannot be sent — send a PDF and ask them to add reception in the registry. Register as an e-invoice recipient
They are registered under a different identifier. Large groups may have a separate identifier per legal entity. Ask which one applies.
It is a foreign company. Then the scheme code is different — every country has its own. Ask the client for their full participant identifier including the prefix.
What to keep in order on your side
Your own identifier is built from your registry code. For it to work, your company data in X7 has to match the registry: registry code, name, address.
If the registry code has a typo, the network will not find you — and suppliers cannot send you e-invoices.
Company detailsCommon mistakes
- Using the VAT number instead of the registry code. They are different numbers; the PEPPOL identifier is built from the registry code.
- An identifier with no prefix. For a foreign client
0191:is wrong — their country has its own scheme. - Spaces or dashes in the code. The identifier is written without separators.
Frequently asked questions
Are a PEPPOL ID and a registry code the same thing?
Almost. The registry code is the identifier; the PEPPOL ID is that same code with a scheme prefix telling the network which country's register it belongs to.
Why are some clients missing from the directory?
The directory lists those who published themselves in it. A company can be a recipient on the network without appearing there — asking the client directly is the safest route.
Do e-invoices inside Estonia also travel over PEPPOL?
In Estonia e-invoices also move over the local e-invoicing network. PEPPOL is the international route and matters for cross-border invoices.
Related guides
First month free. About the module: E-invoices.