Invoice for business customers

When you deliver an item to a business customer, it is mandatory to issue a correct invoice. Since you are the party fulfilling the delivery to the customer, it is your responsibility to issue a proper invoice. Read more about the Dutch invoice requirements from the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration.

Is the Chamber of Commerce or VAT number unknown? This means the customer did not provide it when ordering. As a partner, you are not obliged to include this on the invoice.

Below you will find two example invoices:

• Dutch example invoice
• French example invoice

To meet your legal obligations, you need to upload the invoice to your seller account. For every order, it is automatically indicated whether the order was placed from a business account. This way, you immediately see if you need to include an invoice. Additionally, the customer can directly request an invoice via a button in their customer account. A customer does not have to have ordered as a business customer to request an invoice. It is also mandatory to include an invoice for cross-border sales.

As soon as the customer requests an invoice via the button, you will receive the request under ‘Invoice requests’ in the ‘Orders’ tab of your seller account. You will then automatically receive all the information you need to prepare the invoice. You send the invoice to the customer by uploading it to the invoice request. The invoice will then automatically become available in the customer account.

Good to know: invoice requests must be answered within 24 hours by uploading the invoice to your seller account or via the Retailer API. You can also upload invoices directly after shipping the order via the Retailer API. This allows the customer to download the invoice directly from their customer account and prevents you from receiving invoice requests. An invoice request is only closed by uploading the invoice, even if the order has been cancelled.

On the website of the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration, you will find all invoice requirements. An invoice must contain at least the following:

• The invoice number
• The bol order number associated with this order (found under ‘Invoice requests’ or ‘Upload’)
• The date the item was delivered
• Your full (legal) name, address, and contact details
• Your Chamber of Commerce number
• Your company's VAT identification number
• The customer's full name and billing address*
• A valid VAT identification number of the customer (only for foreign customers for an intra-community supply of goods)*
• The quantity of items delivered
• A description of each item delivered
• The sales amount excluding VAT
• The VAT rates
• The VAT amount (if applicable: VAT amount due per VAT rate)
• The total amount including VAT
• A statement if there is an intra-community supply of goods

From 1 January 2026, new legislation will apply in Belgium. Belgian partners will need to issue B2B invoices via structured electronic invoicing. This is a legal requirement for all transactions between Belgian VAT-registered companies. An BTW invoice via our platform will no longer be accepted. Make sure to update your invoicing systems on time and take other necessary steps, such as connecting to a Peppol Access Point. You send an e-invoice directly to the customer via the Peppol network, without the intervention of bol.

The e-invoicing obligation only applies to sales to Belgian business customers. You do not need to send an e-invoice for sales to private customers in Belgium.

Ensure that you adapt your invoicing systems and take other precautions, such as connecting to a Peppol Access Point. For more information about e-invoicing in Belgium, see the link below to the website of the Federale Overheidsdienst (FOD) or contact your own advisor.

For more information about e-invoicing: e-invoicing en FAQ – e-invoice.

Read more about the Dutch invoicing requirements of the Dutch Tax Administration.