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Spotlight PEPPOL BIS Billing 3.0 The EU e-invoicing mandate is here — France Sept 2026, Belgium Jan 2026, Germany 2025.

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Foundations

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Standards

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Flagship messages

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Tools

Federal B2G — mandatory e-invoicing since 2016

"B2G" means invoices sent by a business to the administration (Business-to-Government). In Switzerland, the Confederation has mandated e-invoicing for all of its suppliers since 1 January 2016 whenever the contract exceeds CHF 5,000. For the newcomer: if you sell to the Swiss federal state above that threshold, the paper invoice is no longer accepted. Eight years ahead of the EU.

History — 2016, eight years ahead of the EU

As early as 2009-2011, the federal administration digitised its inbound invoicing with PostFinance (E-Rechnung / yellowbill network) and Conextrade (Swisscom). On 1 January 2016, the Confederation made e-invoicing mandatory for all of its suppliers on contracts above CHF 5,000.

This obligation runs through the Confederation's general terms and conditions — a contractual lever, not a universal tax mandate like Italian clearing. Switzerland thus preceded the European Union by eight years, whose Directive 2014/55 only mandated B2G receipt from 2019.

text b2g-ch-timeline.txt 
2009-2011  | The federal administration launches its first inbound
           | e-invoice projects, partnering with PostFinance (E-Rechnung /
           | yellowbill network) and Conextrade (Swisscom).
           |
1 Jan 2016 | Obligation: every supplier to the Confederation on a contract
           | above CHF 5,000 must send invoices electronically. Basis:
           | the Confederation's general terms and conditions.
           |
2014/55/EU | For context, the EU only mandated B2G receipt from 2019
           | (transposition of Directive 2014/55). Switzerland is eight years
           | ahead on public-side electronic receipt.
           |
2018-2020  | ISO 20022 migration + QR-bill. The federal platform aligns with
           | market standards (Swiss Payment Standards).
           |
2021-2026  | Consolidation: SIX takes over part of the E-Rechnung
           | infrastructure; gradual opening to PEPPOL flows for foreign
           | suppliers to the Confederation.

Governance — Confederation, E-Rechnung platform

The Federal Finance Administration (FFA) drives the Confederation's inbound e-invoicing. The E-Rechnung platform centralises receipt, in agreed structured formats, and interfaces with provider networks (PostFinance, SIX). Each federal buying office (armasuisse, FEDRO, FSIO, etc.) consumes invoices via this platform.

Schema — accepted channels and formats

A supplier to the Confederation has several channels, depending on its size and origin:

text b2g-channels-formats.txt 
Federal B2G — accepted sending channels
=======================================

1. Provider network (recommended)
   PostFinance E-Rechnung / yellowbill, SIX, Conextrade…
   → structured XML format (yellowbill XML, EDIFACT INVOIC, UBL)

2. Capture / portal (small suppliers)
   Online entry or PDF upload → digitised on the Confederation side.

3. PEPPOL (foreign suppliers)
   PEPPOL BIS Billing 3.0, EndpointID 0183:CHEnnnnnnnnn on the CH side.

Mandatory elements:
  - Purchase order / buying-office reference
  - Supplier UID/IDE + VAT no. (UID + MWST)
  - VAT breakdown (8.1 / 3.8 / 2.6 / 0%)
  - IBAN/QR-IBAN + payment reference (QRR/SCOR)

Threshold: contract > CHF 5,000  → e-invoice mandatory

Swiss B2G vs EU Directive 2014/55

DimensionSwitzerland (Confederation)EU (Directive 2014/55)
Entry into force1 January 20162019 (B2G receipt)
NatureContractual (general terms)Legal (transposed directive)
ThresholdCHF 5,000No universal threshold
StandardAgreed formats + PEPPOL for foreignEN 16931 mandatory
ScopeConfederation (heterogeneous cantons)All contracting authorities

Adoption — suppliers to the Confederation

  • Federal suppliers: e-invoicing has become the norm for any contract > CHF 5,000 since 2016.
  • Cantons and municipalities: heterogeneous adoption — some cantons require e-invoicing, others accept it without imposing it.
  • Foreign suppliers: PEPPOL BIS Billing 3.0 channel open, with EndpointID 0183 on the Swiss side.
  • Spillover effect: the B2G obligation familiarised the ecosystem with e-invoicing, supporting voluntary B2B adoption.

Common pitfalls

  • Assuming a universal federal mandate. The obligation only targets suppliers to the Confederation > CHF 5,000, not all Swiss B2B.
  • Ignoring cantonal fragmentation. Cantons and municipalities have their own rules; a multi-authority supplier must check each requirement.
  • Forgetting the purchase reference. Without the purchase order / buying-office reference, the invoice is rejected or unreconciled.
  • Confusing channel and format. The channel (network, portal, PEPPOL) and the format (yellowbill, UBL, EDIFACT) are two distinct choices to agree on.