Convert PDF to UBL free (Peppol BIS 3.0 or NLCIUS XML)

Turn a PDF invoice, scan or photo into a UBL 2.1 e-invoice: Peppol BIS 3.0 for Belgium and anyone on the Peppol network, or NLCIUS for Dutch government bodies. AI OCR reads the seller, buyer, VAT numbers, lines and totals; you review the form, and the XML is checked against the official rules before you download it. You can try it without an account.

Convert a PDF to UBL Validate an existing UBL file
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How PDF to UBL works

1

Upload your PDF invoice

Drag and drop the PDF, or a scan or phone photo of a paper invoice. AI OCR (Azure Document Intelligence) extracts the seller and buyer, VAT numbers, invoice lines, VAT breakdown and totals into the invoice form.

2

Review the data and pick the profile

Check the extracted values, above all the VAT numbers, the IBAN and the totals. Keep Peppol BIS 3.0, or choose NLCIUS when a Dutch government body is the buyer. Find your customer's Peppol ID by searching the Peppol Directory by name or company number.

3

Download validated UBL XML

Before download the XML is checked against EN 16931 and the Peppol BIS 3.0 rules (or the Dutch BR-NL rules for NLCIUS), with errors explained in plain language. You get the UBL file plus a PDF copy for your records.

What you get

Real UBL 2.1, not a PDF with a label

A UBL Invoice or CreditNote document with the correct CustomizationID and ProfileID, so Peppol access points and accounting software import it as data instead of someone retyping a PDF.

Peppol BIS 3.0 or NLCIUS

Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 is what Belgian companies have had to exchange since 1 January 2026 and what most Peppol receivers expect. NLCIUS (SI-UBL 2.0) is the Dutch government standard. Both come from the same form; you choose at the end.

Checked before you download

The file runs through the official schematron rules: the EN 16931 core, the PEPPOL-EN16931-R rules, and BR-NL for NLCIUS. Every problem comes back with its rule ID, so you fix it before your customer's software rejects it.

Free to try

Without an account you get one AI PDF conversion a month; a free account gives 3, and Pro (€4.85/month) gives 100 plus unlimited invoices. Uploaded PDFs are processed and discarded.

What is UBL, and why convert a PDF to it?

UBL (Universal Business Language) 2.1 is an OASIS XML standard and one of the two syntaxes the European e-invoicing standard EN 16931 allows (the other is UN/CEFACT CII). A PDF is a picture of an invoice; a UBL file carries the same invoice as fields that software can book without retyping. It is the format the Peppol network carries.

In Belgium, VAT-registered companies established there must send and receive B2B invoices as structured e-invoices over Peppol since 1 January 2026. In the Netherlands, suppliers to central government have had to send e-invoices on new contracts since 2017, and all government bodies must be able to receive them since 18 April 2019; between companies there is no obligation yet. Converting the PDF your software already produces is the quickest way to meet a customer who asks for UBL.

Peppol BIS 3.0 or NLCIUS?

Both are UBL 2.1 and both build on EN 16931. Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 is the default on the Peppol network: it is what Belgian companies exchange and what most receivers in other countries expect. NLCIUS (SI-UBL 2.0) adds the Dutch BR-NL rules; choose it when a Dutch government body is the buyer. That body's electronic address is its OIN (Peppol scheme 0190).

Good to know

  • aiDoks does not send the invoice — upload the XML to your Peppol access point or to an invoicing tool that accepts UBL files. Delivery over Peppol needs an access point, and aiDoks is not one.
  • Credit notes too — the same flow creates UBL credit notes, not just invoices.
  • Already have CII or Factur-X? — skip the OCR: the free CII-to-UBL converter turns structured XML into UBL directly.
  • Check what you receive — the free validator reports the exact rule IDs, and the UBL viewer opens any UBL file as a readable PDF.

The recommended workflow

Convert the PDF, check the VAT numbers, IBAN and totals (OCR mistakes there are what get an invoice rejected), pick the profile, download the UBL and send it through your access point. If you edit the XML by hand afterwards, run it through the free validator again.

PDF to UBL: FAQ

What is a UBL invoice?

UBL (Universal Business Language) 2.1 is an OASIS XML standard and one of the two syntaxes allowed by the European e-invoicing standard EN 16931. A UBL invoice carries the invoice as structured data that accounting software can book without retyping. Peppol BIS Billing 3.0, the Dutch NLCIUS and the German XRechnung are all built on it.

Can a PDF really be converted to UBL?

Yes, but a PDF holds no structured data, so AI OCR reads the invoice and rebuilds it as UBL XML. You review the extracted values before you download: that review matters, because OCR can misread a VAT number or an IBAN, and those are the fields a recipient rejects an invoice on.

Peppol BIS 3.0 or NLCIUS: which UBL do I need?

Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 is the default: Belgian companies exchange it over Peppol since 1 January 2026, and most Peppol receivers in other countries expect it. NLCIUS (SI-UBL 2.0) is the Dutch government standard; choose it when a Dutch government body is the buyer. Both are UBL 2.1 and come from the same form.

Does aiDoks send the UBL invoice for me?

No. aiDoks creates and checks the file; delivering it over Peppol needs an access point, and aiDoks is not one. Upload the XML to your Peppol access point or to an invoicing tool that accepts UBL files. Dutch government bodies receive e-invoices over Peppol or through Digipoort.

Is the UBL file validated before I download it?

Yes. The XML is checked against the EN 16931 core rules and the Peppol BIS 3.0 rules, or the Dutch BR-NL rules for NLCIUS, before download. Any problem comes back with its rule ID. You can re-check any UBL file later, yours or a supplier's, with the free Peppol validator.

Is it free?

Yes, to try. Without an account you get one AI PDF conversion a month and a monthly allowance of generated invoices; a free account gives 3 AI conversions a month. Pro is €4.85/month for unlimited invoices and 100 AI conversions a month. Uploaded PDFs are processed and discarded.

I already have an XML invoice in another format. Do I need OCR?

No. Structured formats convert directly, without OCR: CII and Factur-X / ZUGFeRD with the CII-to-UBL converter, the Spanish Facturae with Facturae to UBL, and the Estonian e-arve with e-arve to UBL. OCR is only needed when all you have is a PDF, a scan or a photo.

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