Logius and Digipoort — the B2G gateway
Logius is the digital agency of Ministerie BZK that has operated Digipoort since 2010, the official exchange gateway between Dutch companies and government. With ~120 million messages processed per year, it is one of Europe's most active B2G infrastructures — and the single entry point for SBR (fiscal XBRL), PEPPOL B2G and social declarations.
Logius — BZK digital agency
Logius (official spelling, free contraction of "Logica + Digitalis") is an executive agency (Dienst Digitale Infrastructuur — DDI) of the Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties (BZK). Created in 2006 by merging GBO.Overheid (public infrastructure management) and ICTU (state ICT advisory organisation), its mission is "to design, operate and evolve the common digital infrastructure of the Dutch state".
Logius operates a portfolio of ~14 pivot services:
- Digipoort — universal B2G gateway (see below).
- National PEPPOL Access Point — operated since 2014 (smp.peppol.logius.nl). See PEPPOL pioneer page.
- DigiD — citizen authentication (BSN + password or SMS code, ~13 M active users).
- eHerkenning — federated enterprise authentication (see dedicated section below).
- MijnOverheid — citizen personal area (tax notice, pension, benefits).
- PKIoverheid — government certification authority (X.509 PKI ETSI hierarchy).
- DigiInkoop — state procurement platform.
- Standardisation Platform — secretariat of the OpenPEPPOL Authority in The Hague since 2024.
Digipoort — universal B2G gateway
Digipoort ("digital gate") is the exchange gateway between Dutch companies and the administration. Launched in October 2010, it progressively replaces older proprietary ministry systems (Bivad, Bedrijvenloket, etc.). Its promise: a single entry point for all B2G flows, from SBR fiscal declarations to PEPPOL electronic invoices.
┌─────────────────────┐ ┌───────────────────┐
│ COMPANY │ Secure connection │ Destination │
│ (ERP, accountant, │ ────────────────────────────────> │ administration │
│ third-party │ │ (Belastingdienst,│
│ declarant) │ │ KvK, CBS, NS, │
└─────────┬───────────┘ │ …) │
│ └─────────▲─────────┘
│ │
│ 1. eHerkenning or PKIoverheid │
│ authentication │
▼ │
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ D I G I P O O R T │ │
│ (Logius, BZK ministry agency) │ │
│ │ │
│ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ │ │
│ │ FTP / SFTP│ │ SOAP/WUS │ │ Webform │ │ AS4 EU │ │ │
│ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ │ │
│ │ │
│ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │
│ │ Routing engine │ │ │
│ │ - SBR XBRL → Belastingdienst, KvK, CBS │ ───┼─────────┘
│ │ - PEPPOL UBL → target administration │ │
│ │ - DigiInkoop → Rijksoverheid procurement │ │
│ │ - MijnOverheid → citizen │ │
│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ Immutable logs, 7-year archival (Wet Bewaarplicht) │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Services accessible via Digipoort (per flow):
- SBR (Standard Business Reporting): XBRL fiscal declarations to Belastingdienst, KvK, CBS (statistics) and UWV (social). See SBR page.
- PEPPOL e-invoice: routing to ministries and ZBOs via the national PEPPOL network (Logius is itself AP-Receiver for these destinations).
- Customs (NCTS + AIS): Community transit and customs declarations, since 2017 (CDS first phase).
- UWV social declarations: Loonaangifte (monthly wage declaration) and other HR flows.
- CBS Statistics: Intrastat declarations and enterprise statistics.
eHerkenning — enterprise authentication
eHerkenning ("digital recognition") is the federated authentication system for Dutch companies and organisations to access online services from the administration. Inspired by SAML 2.0 and eIDAS-compliant (LoA Low / Substantial / High), it has 5 levels:
| Level | Method | Typical usage |
|---|---|---|
| EH1 | Login + password | Public consultation |
| EH2 | Login + SMS-OTP | Company data lookup |
| EH2+ | Login + authenticator app | Submission of simple forms |
| EH3 | Hardware token or software certificate | VAT declarations, KvK |
| EH4 | Smart card (eHerkenning Smartcard) | Very sensitive data, defence |
The system is operated by Logius but identities are issued by accredited private Identity Providers (Digidentity, KPN, QuoVadis, Reconi, WeID, Connectis, Z login). This federated architecture avoids state monopoly over enterprise digital identity.
PKIoverheid — government PKI
PKIoverheid ("government PKI") is the Dutch state's X.509 public key infrastructure. 3-level hierarchy:
- PKIoverheid Root CA — G3: the root, operated by Logius in a highly secure Apeldoorn datacenter.
- Domain CAs: specific domains (Authenticatie en Confidentialiteit, EV SSL, Services, Burger, Organisatie).
- Trust Service Providers: accredited commercial entities that issue end-user certificates (KPN, QuoVadis, ESG, Digidentity).
PKIoverheid certificates are eIDAS-qualified and recognised across the EU for advanced and qualified electronic signatures. They are used for:
- TLS server authentication on government *.nl domains
- Signing B2G and some B2B electronic invoices
- Client authentication during SOAP/WUS exchanges with Digipoort
- Electronic seal (eSeal) for public bodies
Volumes and reliability
| Logius service | 2024 volume | Contractual availability |
|---|---|---|
| Digipoort SBR | ~85 M messages | 99.9% |
| Digipoort PEPPOL | ~22 M invoices | 99.95% |
| Digipoort customs | ~15 M declarations | 99.5% |
| DigiD (citizen auth.) | ~520 M logins | 99.5% |
| eHerkenning (enterprise) | ~38 M logins | 99.5% |
| MijnOverheid (mailbox) | ~190 M messages | 99.8% |
ERP integration — supported protocols
Exchange protocols supported by Digipoort (May 2026):
1. SOAP / WUS (Web Service Utility, Logius proprietary)
- The historical protocol since 2010.
- Authentication: PKIoverheid X.509 certificate.
- DigiD G3 convention for online services.
2. FTP / SFTP (Logius File Transfer)
- For large batch volumes (monthly VAT declarations, ZM).
- Authentication: PKIoverheid + IP whitelisting.
3. AS4 — eDelivery profile (PEPPOL or ebMS3 4.0)
- Since 2020, the main channel for PEPPOL e-invoicing.
- Compatible with Directive 910/2014 (eIDAS) and Regulation 2018/1724
(single digital gateway).
4. Web forms (Logius Web Portal)
- For occasional usage (SMEs, citizen declarants).
- eHerkenning level EH3+ or DigiD.
5. REST API (since 2023, experimental)
- JSON over HTTPS, OAuth 2.0 + PKIoverheid certificate-bound token.
- Being generalised to replace SOAP/WUS by 2027.