GLN as Peppol Endpoint ID: How to Use GS1 GLN Codes in E-Invoices

Most Belgian companies use their enterprise number (scheme 0208) as their Peppol endpoint. But some trading partners, especially large retailers and multinationals, use a GLN (Global Location Number) instead. If you need to send an e-invoice to a GLN-based endpoint, you need to use scheme 0088. This guide explains what a GLN is, when to use it, and how to implement it in your UBL invoices and API calls.

What Is a GLN?

A GLN (Global Location Number) is a 13-digit identifier managed by GS1, the organization behind barcodes and the EAN/GTIN system. A GLN can identify four types of entities: legal entities (companies), functions (departments or business units), physical locations (stores, warehouses), and digital locations (online platforms). The GLN itself contains no information about the location. It is a key that links to the systems where that information is stored.

GLNs are widely used in retail, healthcare, logistics, and manufacturing. Companies like Colruyt Group, Delhaize, Carrefour, and major pharmaceutical distributors use GLNs as their primary identifier across supply chain systems. When these companies join the Peppol network, they often register with their GLN rather than (or in addition to) their national registration number.

┌─────────────────────┬──────────────────┬─────┐
│  GS1 Company Prefix │ Location Ref.    │ C/D │
│  (variable, 6-9)    │ (variable)       │ (1) │
└─────────────────────┴──────────────────┴─────┘
Example: 5 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
         ├─────────┤ ├────────┤ └─ Check digit
         Company     Location
         Prefix      Reference

Scheme 0088: GLN in Peppol

In the Peppol network, every participant is identified by a combination of a scheme and an identifier value. For GLN-based endpoints, the scheme is 0088. This code comes from the ISO 6523 ICD (International Code Designator) list, where it is officially registered as "EAN Location Code" with GS1 (formerly EAN International) as the issuing agency. The Peppol Code Lists (maintained by OpenPeppol) include 0088 as a supported participant identifier scheme.

0088:5400000000001

Who Uses GLN as Their Peppol Endpoint?

GLN-based Peppol endpoints are common in industries that already rely on GS1 standards throughout their supply chain.

• Retail and FMCG: Large retail chains like Colruyt Group use Peppol for thousands of invoices per month. Retailers already use GLNs to identify stores, distribution centers, and legal entities. Using the same GLN as their Peppol endpoint is a natural fit.
• Healthcare (NHS England): The UK Department of Health and Social Care mandates that all NHS suppliers use GS1 and Peppol standards. Suppliers must register their GLN as their Peppol ID and exchange purchase orders and invoices carrying GS1 GLNs over Peppol Access Points.
• Organizations with multiple departments: A company with a single Belgian enterprise number can register multiple GLN-based Peppol endpoints for different departments or cost centers. Each department gets its own GLN, so invoices are routed to the correct one. This is common for municipalities, hospitals, and large corporations.
• Logistics and transport: GLNs identify warehouses, loading docks, and distribution hubs. Companies in this sector often use their GLN as their Peppol endpoint for consistency across their supply chain systems.

GLN vs Enterprise Number: When to Use Which

The scheme you use depends on how the recipient is registered on the Peppol network. You cannot choose freely. You must use the scheme under which the recipient's Access Point has registered them.

To determine which scheme a recipient uses, look them up in the Peppol Radar or the Peppol Directory. The lookup result will show the exact scheme and identifier the company is registered under. For more on Belgian identifiers, see our guide on Peppol Participant Identifiers in Belgium.

GLN Endpoint in UBL XML

In a Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 invoice (UBL 2.1), the GLN is placed in the EndpointID element with schemeID="0088". The schemeID attribute is mandatory on the EndpointID element per the Peppol BIS specification. For a deeper dive into UBL invoice structure, see our UBL format guide. Here is a complete example of both the seller and buyer sections.

Seller (AccountingSupplierParty) with GLN

<cac:AccountingSupplierParty>
  <cac:Party>
    <cbc:EndpointID schemeID="0088">5400000000001</cbc:EndpointID>
    <cac:PartyIdentification>
      <cbc:ID schemeID="0088">5400000000001</cbc:ID>
    </cac:PartyIdentification>
    <cac:PartyName>
      <cbc:Name>Supplier Company NV</cbc:Name>
    </cac:PartyName>
    <cac:PostalAddress>
      <cbc:StreetName>Rue de la Loi 1</cbc:StreetName>
      <cbc:CityName>Brussels</cbc:CityName>
      <cbc:PostalZone>1000</cbc:PostalZone>
      <cac:Country>
        <cbc:IdentificationCode>BE</cbc:IdentificationCode>
      </cac:Country>
    </cac:PostalAddress>
    <cac:PartyTaxScheme>
      <cbc:CompanyID>BE0123456789</cbc:CompanyID>
      <cac:TaxScheme>
        <cbc:ID>VAT</cbc:ID>
      </cac:TaxScheme>
    </cac:PartyTaxScheme>
    <cac:PartyLegalEntity>
      <cbc:RegistrationName>Supplier Company NV</cbc:RegistrationName>
      <cbc:CompanyID schemeID="0208">0123456789</cbc:CompanyID>
    </cac:PartyLegalEntity>
  </cac:Party>
</cac:AccountingSupplierParty>

Buyer (AccountingCustomerParty) with GLN

<cac:AccountingCustomerParty>
  <cac:Party>
    <cbc:EndpointID schemeID="0088">5400000000028</cbc:EndpointID>
    <cac:PartyIdentification>
      <cbc:ID schemeID="0088">5400000000028</cbc:ID>
    </cac:PartyIdentification>
    <cac:PartyName>
      <cbc:Name>Retail Chain SA</cbc:Name>
    </cac:PartyName>
    <cac:PostalAddress>
      <cbc:StreetName>Avenue Louise 100</cbc:StreetName>
      <cbc:CityName>Brussels</cbc:CityName>
      <cbc:PostalZone>1050</cbc:PostalZone>
      <cac:Country>
        <cbc:IdentificationCode>BE</cbc:IdentificationCode>
      </cac:Country>
    </cac:PostalAddress>
    <cac:PartyTaxScheme>
      <cbc:CompanyID>BE0987654321</cbc:CompanyID>
      <cac:TaxScheme>
        <cbc:ID>VAT</cbc:ID>
      </cac:TaxScheme>
    </cac:PartyTaxScheme>
    <cac:PartyLegalEntity>
      <cbc:RegistrationName>Retail Chain SA</cbc:RegistrationName>
      <cbc:CompanyID schemeID="0208">0987654321</cbc:CompanyID>
    </cac:PartyLegalEntity>
  </cac:Party>
</cac:AccountingCustomerParty>

Sending to a GLN Endpoint via the e-invoice.be API

When using the e-invoice.be API to send an invoice to a GLN-based recipient, you specify the recipient's Peppol ID in the customer_peppol_id field using the 0088: prefix. For a full walkthrough of the API, see our guide on e-invoicing API integration.

cURL Example

curl -X POST https://api.e-invoice.be/invoices \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "invoice_id": "INV-2026-001",
    "invoice_date": "2026-03-05",
    "due_date": "2026-04-04",
    "document_type": "INVOICE",
    "vendor_name": "Your Company NV",
    "vendor_tax_id": "BE0123456789",
    "customer_name": "Retail Chain SA",
    "customer_tax_id": "BE0987654321",
    "customer_peppol_id": "0088:5400000000028",
    "items": [
      {
        "description": "Product delivery Q1 2026",
        "quantity": 500,
        "unit_price": 12.50,
        "tax_rate": 21
      }
    ]
  }'

Python Example

import requests

response = requests.post(
    "https://api.e-invoice.be/invoices",
    headers={
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY",
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    json={
        "invoice_id": "INV-2026-001",
        "invoice_date": "2026-03-05",
        "due_date": "2026-04-04",
        "document_type": "INVOICE",
        "vendor_name": "Your Company NV",
        "vendor_tax_id": "BE0123456789",
        "customer_name": "Retail Chain SA",
        "customer_tax_id": "BE0987654321",
        "customer_peppol_id": "0088:5400000000028",
        "items": [
            {
                "description": "Product delivery Q1 2026",
                "quantity": 500,
                "unit_price": 12.50,
                "tax_rate": 21,
            }
        ],
    },
)

print(response.json())

JavaScript / Node.js Example

const response = await fetch("https://api.e-invoice.be/invoices", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY",
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    invoice_id: "INV-2026-001",
    invoice_date: "2026-03-05",
    due_date: "2026-04-04",
    document_type: "INVOICE",
    vendor_name: "Your Company NV",
    vendor_tax_id: "BE0123456789",
    customer_name: "Retail Chain SA",
    customer_tax_id: "BE0987654321",
    customer_peppol_id: "0088:5400000000028",
    items: [
      {
        description: "Product delivery Q1 2026",
        quantity: 500,
        unit_price: 12.50,
        tax_rate: 21,
      },
    ],
  }),
});

const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

How to Validate a GLN

Before sending an invoice to a GLN endpoint, validate the GLN to avoid delivery failures. A valid GLN must pass two checks: it must be exactly 13 digits, and the last digit must be a valid GS1 check digit. For general Peppol invoice validation, see our overview of the best Peppol validation tools.

GLN Check Digit Algorithm (JavaScript)

function isValidGLN(gln) {
  if (!/^\d{13}$/.test(gln)) return false;

  const digits = gln.split("").map(Number);
  let sum = 0;

  for (let i = 0; i < 12; i++) {
    sum += digits[i] * (i % 2 === 0 ? 1 : 3);
  }

  const checkDigit = (10 - (sum % 10)) % 10;
  return checkDigit === digits[12];
}

// Examples
console.log(isValidGLN("5400000000001")); // true or false
console.log(isValidGLN("1234567890123")); // check digit validation

GLN Check Digit Algorithm (Python)

def is_valid_gln(gln: str) -> bool:
    if not gln.isdigit() or len(gln) != 13:
        return False

    digits = [int(d) for d in gln]
    total = sum(
        d * (1 if i % 2 == 0 else 3)
        for i, d in enumerate(digits[:12])
    )
    check_digit = (10 - (total % 10)) % 10
    return check_digit == digits[12]


# Examples
print(is_valid_gln("5400000000001"))
print(is_valid_gln("1234567890123"))

GLN for Delivery Locations

GLNs are not only used as endpoint IDs. In Peppol BIS Billing 3.0, you can also use a GLN to specify the delivery location. This is useful when invoicing large organizations that have multiple warehouses or branches.

<cac:Delivery>
  <cac:DeliveryLocation>
    <cbc:ID schemeID="0088">5400000000035</cbc:ID>
    <cac:Address>
      <cbc:StreetName>Warehouse District 5</cbc:StreetName>
      <cbc:CityName>Antwerp</cbc:CityName>
      <cbc:PostalZone>2000</cbc:PostalZone>
      <cac:Country>
        <cbc:IdentificationCode>BE</cbc:IdentificationCode>
      </cac:Country>
    </cac:Address>
  </cac:DeliveryLocation>
</cac:Delivery>

The Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 specification explicitly mentions GLN as the recommended identifier for delivery locations. The same GLN value can appear in multiple contexts within a single invoice, but each serves a distinct purpose:

Common Peppol Identifier Schemes

For reference, here are the most commonly used Peppol identifier schemes you may encounter alongside GLN:

Scheme 0088 vs 0209: Which GS1 Scheme to Use?

GS1 has two ISO 6523 ICD codes registered for use in Peppol. It is important to use the right one.

• 0088 is for plain 13-digit GLNs without any extension. This is the standard scheme for Peppol endpoint identification. Use this in the vast majority of cases.
• 0209 is a newer, more flexible code that supports any GS1 identifier with Application Identifier (AI) prefixes. This includes GLN with extension components (AI 254), serialized GTINs, SSCCs, and other GS1 key types. Only use 0209 when you need an extended GLN or a non-GLN GS1 identifier.

For standard Peppol endpoint identification with a regular 13-digit GLN, always use scheme 0088.

Common Mistakes When Using GLN in Peppol

• Wrong number of digits: A GLN is always exactly 13 digits. Do not strip leading zeros or add extra characters.
• Using scheme 0208 with a GLN value: If the identifier is a GLN, the scheme must be 0088. Using 0208 with a GLN will cause a lookup failure because the SMP won't find a match.
• Invalid check digit: Always validate the GLN check digit before sending. An invalid GLN will be rejected during validation.
• Confusing delivery GLN with endpoint GLN: The endpoint GLN (in EndpointID) routes the invoice. The delivery GLN (in DeliveryLocation/ID) specifies the physical location. Do not mix them up.
• Not verifying the recipient first: Always check that the recipient is actually registered under scheme 0088 before sending. Use the Peppol Radar to verify.

Frequently Asked Questions