Mandatory e-invoicing in 2026: what hospitality needs to know

From 1 January 2026, structured electronic invoicing becomes mandatory between Belgian VAT-registered businesses. For a café, bar or restaurant, one real question follows: what does it actually change for me? Here's the essential, in plain terms.

Belgium is rolling out electronic invoicing (e-invoicing) across the board via the Peppol network. No more plain PDF emailed between professionals: the invoice becomes a structured file that accounting software reads automatically. The stated goal — fewer errors, less fraud, faster bookkeeping.

• Structured e-invoicing (Peppol / UBL format) becomes mandatory for invoices between Belgian VAT-registered businesses (B2B).
• A classic PDF emailed across no longer suffices for those business-to-business invoices.
• Your suppliers (wholesalers, breweries, equipment vendors…) will send their invoices via Peppol — you need to be able to receive them.
• When you invoice another business (catering for a company, a professional private event…), you'll need to issue an electronic invoice.

• Talk to your accountant: they'll lead the switch to Peppol for your venue.
• Make sure you have software or a Peppol 'access point' to receive and send structured invoices.
• Check your company / VAT number: it's your 'address' on the Peppol network.
• Don't wait until December: give your accountant and tools time to get set up calmly.

E-invoicing is just one piece of the puzzle. That same year, your customers look for you first on Google and on mobile: a venue with no professional website, no online menu and no online reservations loses customers every week. Being 'compliant' on invoices and 'visible' to customers is the same move — that of a hospitality business ready for 2026.

That's exactly where Propelo helps. Not with your accounting, but with everything that makes you visible and easy to find:

• A website for your restaurant, café or bar, built for you in minutes
• An online menu, editable in two clicks
• Online reservations, straight from your site
• Better visibility on Google and mobile
• And on invoicing: your Propelo subscription invoices are already issued in the electronic format — one less thing to worry about.

The e-invoice is becoming the norm: best to prepare calmly with your accountant. And while you're modernising your venue, take the chance to polish what customers see first — a clear site, an up-to-date menu and online booking. A hospitality business ready for 2026, on the admin side and for customers alike.