Switch Peppol Access Point without losing receive
Checklist for migrating Belgian Peppol Access Point providers while keeping your participant ID and inbound capability, plus dual-run pitfalls.
Updated
What must stay the same
Your Peppol participant ID for a Belgian company is normally 0208: + your ten-digit KBO/BCE number. Switching Access Point (AP) should not invent a new identity. Suppliers keep sending to the same ID; only the gateway behind the directory changes.
What changes is who publishes your SMP metadata and who operates send/receive. Background: Peppol Access Point and Peppol registration in Belgium.
| Keep | Migrate / reconfigure |
|---|---|
Participant ID (0208:…) | Which certified AP owns SMP publication |
| Legal entity and VAT data | Outbound credentials in your invoicing tool |
| Invoice numbering sequences | Inbound inbox / API / archive connection |
| Supplier-facing Peppol ID message | Support contacts and monitoring |
Migration checklist
- Inventory current publication. Confirm which AP currently advertises your ID and BIS Billing receive. Run participant lookup and save the result.
- Contract cutover with both providers. Agree who deregisters, who registers, and the exact switch window. Two APs must not claim the same participant ID at once.
- Prepare the new AP. Complete KYC/onboarding, certificates, and product integration (send + receive) before directory cutover.
- Point software at the new AP. Update endpoints/API keys; keep the old lane read-only until inbound is proven.
- Cutover SMP/SML. Old AP withdraws; new AP publishes. Expect short DNS/metadata propagation delay.
- Verify receive. Ask a supplier (or the new AP’s test helper) to send a real inbound invoice to your ID. Confirm it lands in the inbound inbox.
- Verify send. One controlled outbound to a cooperative customer; check delivery status.
- Tell suppliers only if the ID changed (it usually should not). If tooling URLs or portals change, update your share Peppol ID note.
- AP cutover
The coordinated moment when SMP metadata for your participant ID moves from the old Access Point to the new one so lookups route to the new receive endpoint.
Dual-run pitfalls
| Pitfall | Why it hurts | Safer habit |
|---|---|---|
| Two APs published for one ID | Lookups fail or split; invoices bounce | Exclusive ownership of the participant ID |
| Old AP still “live” for send | Staff send from the wrong product; dual sequences | Disable outbound on the old tool the same day |
| Receive unpublished during gap | Silent empty inbox; suppliers keep emailing PDFs | Minimise gap; monitor lookup every hour around cutover |
| Assuming ID stays without checking | Wrong scheme or entity registered at new AP | Lookup 0208 + ten digits after go-live |
| Migrating mid-month without freeze | Lost delivery statuses and open rejects | Freeze non-urgent sends for a short window |
Done when
- Lookup shows your ID with BIS Billing on the new AP
- At least one inbound and one outbound production document succeeded
- Old AP credentials revoked and no second publication remains
- Finance knows which inbox is authoritative