Universal Business Language (UBL)
A standardized XML document format used for structured e-invoices and related documents.
What It Means
UBL allows systems to exchange machine-readable invoices with consistent fields and validation rules, reducing manual interpretation and errors.
Why It Matters
Structured UBL payloads improve validation success rates and automate downstream accounting and tax processing.
Related Terms
Invoice Reference Number (IRN)
A unique identifier generated for each compliant e-invoice submission.
Peppol
A global interoperability framework for exchanging standardized business documents.
FIRS Validation
Rule checks that confirm invoice payloads meet required schema and compliance constraints before acceptance.
FAQ
Can I submit PDF-only invoices for compliance?
PDF is typically presentation format. Compliance workflows generally require a structured payload (such as UBL/XML) for validation and transmission.
Do I need to handwrite UBL XML?
No. A compliant platform should generate and validate UBL automatically from your invoice form or API payload.