On 11 September 2026 the Dutch cabinet made the call: from 1 July 2030, invoices between businesses must be electronic - a structured file that follows the European standard, not a PDF exported from Word or Excel. A year later, digital reporting to the Belastingdienst (the Dutch tax authority) follows. Here is what that means for a zzp’er (a self-employed professional without staff) or a small business, who is exempt, and how to get ready in good time.
Every invoice in ProFaktura comes with a free e-invoice (UBL, Peppol). Sign up without a credit card.
An e-invoice (in Dutch: e-factuur) is not simply an invoice that happens to be digital. It is a file of structured data - invoice number, dates, amounts, VAT per rate, your KVK number (Dutch Chamber of Commerce registration) and your btw-id (VAT number) - laid out according to the European standard EN 16931. Your client’s accounting software reads such a file automatically: no retyping, no scanning. ProFaktura uses the UBL format (XML) for this, which Dutch accounting packages import straight away.
Good invoicing software produces both. In ProFaktura the PDF is embedded inside the UBL file, so your client and your accountant receive one document instead of two.
The Netherlands goes further than the EU requires. The EU rule only covers trade between member states; the Dutch plan adds domestic invoices. Keep in mind that the law has not been passed yet. The main lines are clear, but details and dates can still move - we update this page when they do.
Example: a freelance translator with an agency, a publisher in Berlin and private clients
From 1 July 2030 the translation agency in Rotterdam receives her invoice as an e-invoice with 21% VAT - the same details as today, only as a UBL file. The publisher in Berlin, a business in another EU country, also gets an e-invoice, marked btw verlegd (reverse charge) and showing the publisher’s VAT number - and from 2030 that cross-border invoice is reported digitally as well. A family who needs a birth certificate translated gets a normal PDF. If her turnover stayed under € 20,000 and she used the KOR, she would not have to send e-invoices at all.
Today you report VAT in one go every quarter in your VAT return (btw-aangifte). Under the new rules, a selection of data from every domestic e-invoice goes to the Belastingdienst digitally, almost immediately after you issue it - from 1 July 2031. For transactions within the EU, reporting starts earlier, on 1 July 2030. The government is still working out the technical details; the easiest outcome is that your invoicing software handles it for you.
An e-invoice has to travel somehow. Networks exist that deliver invoices directly from your software to your client’s accounting system - a bit like email, but for structured invoice data. The best known in Europe is Peppol. The Dutch government is still choosing between Peppol (recommended in a study by EY) and the European Business Wallet; the decision is expected in October 2026, and Peppol is the most likely choice. For you, the difference is small: your invoicing software connects to the network, and you click “send”.
Start by checking your invoicing tool:
Then three simple steps:
Still invoicing from Word or Excel? Switch well before 2030 - not because you must today, but so you are not changing tools in the final months before the deadline.
Invoices and credit notes in ProFaktura are free and unlimited, and the UBL e-invoice comes with them at no extra cost. Pro - expenses with the receipt scanner, a GPS mileage log, time tracking, quotes and a VAT dashboard - costs € 9.99 + VAT per month (€ 12.09 including VAT), with 30 days free and one-click cancellation. ProFaktura runs in your browser and as an app on iPhone and Android, with servers in the Netherlands and no ads.
The cabinet wants e-invoicing to be mandatory from 1 July 2030 for invoices between businesses, both within the Netherlands and to other EU countries. From 1 July 2031, digital reporting of invoice data to the Belastingdienst is added. The law still has to pass parliament, so the dates may change.
Not for invoices to businesses. An e-invoice is a structured file under the European standard EN 16931 that your client’s software reads automatically. A PDF from Word or Excel is not. You can still send a PDF to private customers.
No. Businesses in the KOR (turnover up to € 20,000 a year) are exempt from sending e-invoices and from reporting, also after July 2030. They must be able to receive e-invoices from others.
Peppol is a European network that lets businesses send e-invoices securely into each other’s accounting software, like email but for structured invoices. The government is still choosing which network the Netherlands will use; Peppol is the most likely option.
Yes. For every invoice and credit note you download a UBL (XML) e-invoice under Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 and EN 16931, also on the free plan. Sending through the network the government picks will be connected before the 2030 obligation.
Invoices and credit notes are free and unlimited, and the UBL e-invoice comes with them at no extra cost. Pro, with expenses, the mileage log and time tracking, costs € 9.99 + VAT per month, and the first 30 days are free.
Read next: how to invoice in the Netherlands · KOR small business scheme · VAT return in the Netherlands · for accountants