Creating an e-invoice means issuing an invoice as structured data rather than as a document to be read. A PDF is a picture of an invoice; an e-invoice carries the same information in named fields, so the recipient’s software can read it without anyone retyping anything. In this article you can read what makes an invoice a real e-invoice, the three routes to create one, and where the obligation already applies.
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What is an e-invoice?
An e-invoice is an invoice in a structured format, usually UBL, that the recipient’s software can read field by field. A PDF attached to an e-mail is a digital invoice but not an e-invoice, and that distinction is what most confusion is about. The test is simple: if a person has to look at it to know what the total is, it is a document. If the software knows because the field says so, it is an e-invoice.
A real e-invoice carries standardised data, follows a recognised standard such as the European EN 16931, and can be exchanged over a network like Peppol. More on the format in converting invoices to UBL.
Why issue e-invoices?
- You get paid sooner. Your customer’s system can process the invoice the day it arrives instead of when somebody types it over.
- Fewer disputes. No misread amounts or transposed digits, so fewer invoices come back with a question.
- It is increasingly required. Invoices to public bodies must be electronic across the European Union, in Belgium business-to-business e-invoicing has been mandatory since 1 January 2026, and the European ViDA rules extend the obligation from 2030.
- Less paper and postage. A side benefit rather than the reason, but a real one.
Three ways to create one
1. Your invoicing or accounting software
This is the route to prefer, and for most companies the only one worth considering. Packages such as Exact, Twinfield, Visma and Moneybird create an invoice as UBL alongside the PDF, often as a setting you switch on once. Nothing is converted, because the data never became an image, which is why the output is reliably correct.
2. An online tool
If you invoice a handful of times a month and have no invoicing package, a dedicated tool lets you fill in the details and generates the e-invoice. Workable for low volumes, and it stays a manual step, so it does not scale.
3. Your own UBL file
Technically you can build the XML yourself, and for a one-off or a systems integration that is a legitimate route. It requires knowledge of the UBL structure and of the national profile your customer expects, and it needs validating before you send it.
Sending it through the right channel
A UBL file can travel by e-mail, and for public bodies and larger companies it usually has to travel over Peppol, which delivers it into the recipient’s system rather than into a mailbox. That requires a Peppol ID on both sides and a provider that connects you to the network. Ask your customer which route they expect, because sending a perfectly valid UBL file to an address that only accepts Peppol gets you nowhere.
Getting it right first time
- Match the profile. UBL has national variants; check which one your customer accepts before the first batch.
- Include everything mandatory. Invoice number, date, VAT number, company registration number and payment terms, because a missing field means a rejected file rather than a phone call.
- Validate before sending. A validator or a test import catches structural errors while they are still cheap to fix.
The receiving side, and TriFact365
Creating and issuing invoices is not what TriFact365 does; that stays with your accounting or invoicing software. Where TriFact365 works is the other direction: the e-invoices your suppliers send you. You get your own Peppol ID, incoming e-invoices arrive directly, and the lines are coded into a booking proposal for your accounting package. Worth knowing if you are switching to e-invoicing: an incoming e-invoice removes the character recognition, because the data is structured, but it does not decide which general ledger account and VAT code the lines belong to. That step remains either way. Read more about receiving e-invoices over the network or about the route from receipt to journal entry.
Frequently asked questions
No. A PDF is a digital document that a person reads; an e-invoice carries the data in named fields so software can read it. The two are often confused, and only the second one satisfies an e-invoicing obligation.
The simplest route is your invoicing or accounting package, which can export an invoice as UBL alongside the PDF. For low volumes an online tool works, and technically you can build the UBL file yourself if you know the structure and the national profile.
Not always. A UBL file can be sent by e-mail if your customer accepts that. Public bodies and many larger companies expect delivery over Peppol, which needs a Peppol ID and a provider on both sides.
For invoices to public bodies it is required across the European Union. In Belgium business-to-business e-invoicing has been mandatory since 1 January 2026, and the European ViDA rules extend the obligation from 2030. Check what applies where your company is registered.
No. Issuing invoices stays with your accounting or invoicing software. TriFact365 works on the receiving side: incoming e-invoices arrive through your own Peppol ID and are prepared as a booking proposal for your accounting package.
