German Peppol ID lookup

Type a German VAT ID (USt-IdNr., DE followed by 9 digits, e.g. DE123456789) or a Leitweg-ID (choose Germany as the country). You'll see whether that number is registered on the Peppol network to receive e-invoices, and through which Peppol provider (access point).

Peppol is one channel among several in Germany

Since 1 January 2025, every business in Germany must be able to receive e-invoices ^[1]. The law prescribes no channel: email, an interface, a shared storage location or a download portal are all possible, and the parties agree on the channel between themselves. An email inbox is enough to receive ^[1].

Issuing is phased in. Until the end of 2026 every business may still send paper or, with the customer's consent, other electronic formats such as a plain PDF. For businesses with a prior-year turnover of up to EUR 800,000 this period runs until the end of 2027 ^[1]. Small businesses under the Kleinunternehmer rules don't have to issue e-invoices, but they must be able to receive them ^[1].

So for a German company, the lookup answers a narrower question: is this number registered as a receiver on Peppol? "Not found" is common and does not mean the company can't receive e-invoices. Ask for an email address instead.

Which numbers you can enter

A Peppol ID has the form scheme:number. We turn what you type into the Peppol IDs used in Germany:

• VAT ID (9930): the usual Peppol ID of German businesses. E-Rechnung Bund lists 9930 plus the VAT ID, or 0088 plus a GLN, as the IDs of invoice senders ^[3].
• Leitweg-ID (0204): only for public-sector buyers. Authorities use their Leitweg-ID as their Peppol ID, and you find it in the contract documents or by asking the authority ^[3]. Between businesses no Leitweg-ID is needed ^[1].
• GEBA (0246): the German Electronic Business Address, built on the business identification number (W-IdNr.), which in turn is based on the VAT ID. Its use is voluntary ^[4]. The scheme is active in the current Peppol code list ^[5].

What the result shows

1. Two choices above the result: What are you sending? (an invoice, a credit note or a self-billing invoice, or an XRechnung invoice or credit note) and Whose number is this? (a customer's, or your own company's).
2. A verdict for that document. For a customer's number: "Yes: it should arrive over Peppol", "Probably, but check the points below" or "No: it won't arrive over Peppol as things stand". For your own number: your company is ready to receive it over Peppol, mostly ready, or can't receive it over Peppol yet.
3. The Peppol provider, with its rank in our market-share sample and a link to its profile when we have one. How the sample is drawn: methodology.
4. A checklist, each point marked OK, warning, problem or note: the number is registered on Peppol, and under which ID; the provider's record answers; the chosen document is accepted, or accepted only under the company's other ID (then send it there); the provider's certificate is valid, expires within 30 days, or has expired.
5. The address to use in your invoicing software, with a copy button: the exact Peppol ID to send to.
6. If it can't go over Peppol: what German rules allow instead. Peppol is one channel among several in Germany, so this usually leaves another channel such as email ^[1].
7. Technical details (folded): the Peppol ID, the provider, its Peppol seat ID, the provider's country, the directory host (SMP), the certificate's expiry date, other IDs the company is registered under, when the check ran, and every document type it accepts. Results are cached for up to 24 hours.

We show no names, addresses or contact details, only technical data about the registration of the number you typed. There is no reverse search: you can't list the customers of a provider.

Why a document may not arrive, and what to do then: Will my e-invoice arrive?.

Nothing found?

1. The company receives e-invoices another way, for example by email. That is allowed ^[1].
2. The company is on Peppol under another ID, for example a GLN. If you know it, type the full Peppol ID.
3. You typed a typo or the VAT ID of another company in the group. Check the number on one of its invoices.

How it works

The lookup asks the public Peppol infrastructure the same questions an access point asks before it sends an invoice: the central address registry (SML), then the company's capability record (SMP), then the access point's certificate, which names the provider. In Germany, KoSIT acts as the national Peppol Authority on behalf of the IT Planning Council ^[2]. Our data comes straight from the network and from the Peppol Directory (OpenPeppol AISBL) ^[6].

The result shows the registration at the moment of the lookup. It does not confirm that a particular invoice will be delivered.

Related: Getting a Peppol ID in Germany · Receiving e-invoices · XRechnung and ZUGFeRD viewer · e-invoicing mandate 2027

Checked on 7 October 2026. "Peppol" is used here as a descriptive word only; E-Invoice Map is not affiliated with OpenPeppol. Not legal or tax advice.