Creating Documents from PDF

Overview

The e-invoice.be API allows you to create documents directly from PDF files. This is useful when:

You have existing PDF invoices you want to send via Peppol
Your system generates PDF invoices but not structured data
You want to digitize paper invoices
You’re migrating from traditional PDF invoicing to e-invoicing

How It Works

There are two modes for PDF document creation:

PDF with JSON metadata - Provide both PDF and structured data
PDF with auto-extraction - Let AI extract invoice data from the PDF (optional feature)

Method 1: PDF with JSON Metadata

This is the recommended approach - you provide both the PDF and the structured invoice data.

Step 1: Prepare Your Data

You’ll need:

The PDF file
Invoice data in JSON format (same as regular invoice creation)

Step 2: Upload PDF with Metadata

curl -X POST "https://api.e-invoice.be/api/documents/pdf" \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
     -F "[email protected]" \
     -F 'data={
       "document_type": "INVOICE",
       "invoice_id": "INV-2024-001",
       "invoice_date": "2024-10-24",
       "currency": "EUR",
       "vendor_name": "Your Company BVBA",
       "vendor_tax_id": "0208:0123456789",
       "vendor_address": "Main Street 123, 1000 Brussels, Belgium",
       "customer_name": "Customer Company NV",
       "customer_tax_id": "0208:0987654321",
       "customer_address": "Customer Lane 456, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium",
       "items": [
         {
           "description": "Professional Services",
           "quantity": 10,
           "unit": "C62",
           "unit_price": 100.00,
           "tax_rate": "21.00"
         }
       ]
     }'

Response

{
  "id": "doc_abc123",
  "type": "INVOICE",
  "state": "DRAFT",
  "invoice_number": "INV-2024-001",
  "has_pdf": true,
  "created_at": 1729468923
}

Step 3: Send via Peppol

curl -X POST "https://api.e-invoice.be/api/documents/doc_abc123/send" \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Method 2: PDF with Auto-Extraction (Optional)

PDF auto-extraction is an optional feature that requires AI-powered data extraction. Contact [email protected] to enable this feature for your account.

With auto-extraction enabled, you can upload a PDF and have the system extract invoice data automatically.

Upload PDF for Auto-Extraction

curl -X POST "https://api.e-invoice.be/api/documents/pdf" \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
     -F "[email protected]" \
     -F "auto_extract=true"

Response

{
  "id": "doc_abc123",
  "type": "INVOICE",
  "state": "DRAFT",
  "invoice_number": "INV-2024-001",
  "extracted_data": {
    "invoice_number": "INV-2024-001",
    "issue_date": "2024-10-24",
    "total_amount": 1210.00,
    "supplier_name": "Your Company",
    "customer_name": "Customer Company"
  },
  "extraction_confidence": 0.95,
  "requires_review": false
}

Auto-extracted data should always be reviewed before sending, especially for the first few invoices. The extraction_confidence score indicates how confident the system is in the extracted data.

Code Examples

Node.js - PDF with Metadata

const axios = require('axios');
const FormData = require('form-data');
const fs = require('fs');

async function uploadPDFInvoice(pdfPath, invoiceData) {
  const formData = new FormData();

  // Add PDF file
  formData.append('pdf', fs.createReadStream(pdfPath));

  // Add invoice data as JSON
  formData.append('data', JSON.stringify(invoiceData));

  try {
    const response = await axios.post(
      'https://api.e-invoice.be/api/documents/pdf',
      formData,
      {
        headers: {
          'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.E_INVOICE_API_KEY}`,
          ...formData.getHeaders()
        }
      }
    );

    console.log('Document created:', response.data.id);
    return response.data;

  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error:', error.response?.data || error.message);
  }
}

// Usage
const invoiceData = {
  document_type: 'INVOICE',
  invoice_id: 'INV-2024-001',
  invoice_date: '2024-10-24',
  currency: 'EUR',
  vendor_name: 'Your Company BVBA',
  vendor_tax_id: '0208:0123456789',
  vendor_address: 'Main Street 123, 1000 Brussels, Belgium',
  customer_name: 'Customer Company NV',
  customer_tax_id: '0208:0987654321',
  customer_address: 'Customer Lane 456, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium',
  items: [
    {
      description: 'Professional Services',
      quantity: 10,
      unit: 'C62',
      unit_price: 100.00,
      tax_rate: '21.00'
    }
  ]
};

uploadPDFInvoice('./invoice.pdf', invoiceData);

Python - PDF with Metadata

import requests
import os
import json

API_KEY = os.environ.get('E_INVOICE_API_KEY')
BASE_URL = 'https://api.e-invoice.be'

def upload_pdf_invoice(pdf_path, invoice_data):
    headers = {
        'Authorization': f'Bearer {API_KEY}'
    }

    files = {
        'pdf': open(pdf_path, 'rb'),
        'data': (None, json.dumps(invoice_data), 'application/json')
    }

    try:
        response = requests.post(
            f'{BASE_URL}/api/documents/pdf',
            headers=headers,
            files=files
        )

        response.raise_for_status()
        print(f'Document created: {response.json()["id"]}')
        return response.json()

    except Exception as error:
        print(f'Error: {error}')

# Usage
invoice_data = {
    'document_type': 'INVOICE',
    'invoice_id': 'INV-2024-001',
    'invoice_date': '2024-10-24',
    'currency': 'EUR',
    'vendor_name': 'Your Company BVBA',
    'vendor_tax_id': '0208:0123456789',
    'vendor_address': 'Main Street 123, 1000 Brussels, Belgium',
    'customer_name': 'Customer Company NV',
    'customer_tax_id': '0208:0987654321',
    'customer_address': 'Customer Lane 456, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium',
    'items': [
        {
            'description': 'Professional Services',
            'quantity': 10,
            'unit': 'C62',
            'unit_price': 100.00,
            'tax_rate': '21.00'
        }
    ]
}

upload_pdf_invoice('./invoice.pdf', invoice_data)

Node.js - PDF with Auto-Extraction

const axios = require('axios');
const FormData = require('form-data');
const fs = require('fs');

async function uploadPDFWithAutoExtraction(pdfPath) {
  const formData = new FormData();

  formData.append('pdf', fs.createReadStream(pdfPath));
  formData.append('auto_extract', 'true');

  try {
    const response = await axios.post(
      'https://api.e-invoice.be/api/documents/pdf',
      formData,
      {
        headers: {
          'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.E_INVOICE_API_KEY}`,
          ...formData.getHeaders()
        }
      }
    );

    console.log('Document created:', response.data.id);
    console.log('Extraction confidence:', response.data.extraction_confidence);

    if (response.data.requires_review) {
      console.log('⚠️  Please review extracted data before sending');
      console.log('Extracted data:', response.data.extracted_data);
    }

    return response.data;

  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error:', error.response?.data || error.message);
  }
}

// Usage
uploadPDFWithAutoExtraction('./invoice.pdf');

Complete Workflow Example

Here’s a complete example that validates, creates, and sends a PDF invoice:

const axios = require('axios');
const FormData = require('form-data');
const fs = require('fs');

const api = axios.create({
  baseURL: 'https://api.e-invoice.be',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.E_INVOICE_API_KEY}`
  }
});

async function createAndSendPDFInvoice(pdfPath, invoiceData) {
  try {
    // 1. Validate JSON data first
    console.log('Validating invoice data...');
    const validation = await api.post('/api/validate/json', invoiceData);

    if (!validation.data.valid) {
      console.error('Validation failed:', validation.data.errors);
      return;
    }

    console.log('✓ Invoice data is valid');

    // 2. Upload PDF with metadata
    console.log('Uploading PDF invoice...');
    const formData = new FormData();
    formData.append('pdf', fs.createReadStream(pdfPath));
    formData.append('data', JSON.stringify(invoiceData));

    const document = await api.post('/api/documents/pdf', formData, {
      headers: formData.getHeaders()
    });

    console.log('✓ Document created:', document.data.id);

    // 3. Send via Peppol
    console.log('Sending document...');
    const result = await api.post(`/api/documents/${document.data.id}/send`);
    console.log('✓ Document sent:', result.data.state);

    return document.data;

  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error:', error.response?.data || error.message);
  }
}

// Usage
const invoiceData = {
  document_type: 'INVOICE',
  invoice_id: 'INV-2024-001',
  invoice_date: '2024-10-24',
  currency: 'EUR',
  vendor_name: 'Your Company BVBA',
  vendor_tax_id: '0208:0123456789',
  vendor_address: 'Main Street 123, 1000 Brussels, Belgium',
  customer_name: 'Customer Company NV',
  customer_tax_id: '0208:0987654321',
  customer_address: 'Customer Lane 456, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium',
  items: [
    {
      description: 'Professional Services',
      quantity: 10,
      unit: 'C62',
      unit_price: 100.00,
      tax_rate: '21.00'
    }
  ]
};

createAndSendPDFInvoice('./invoice.pdf', invoiceData);

PDF Requirements

File Format

Format: PDF (Portable Document Format)
Max size: 10 MB
Version: PDF 1.4 or higher
Content: Must contain readable text (not just images)

Scanned PDFs (images only) require OCR processing. For best results with auto-extraction, use PDFs generated from digital sources.

Best Practices for PDFs

Use text-based PDFs: Generated from software rather than scanned
Clear layout: Structured format with clear sections
Readable fonts: Standard fonts, minimum 8pt size
Complete information: All required invoice fields visible
Single invoice per PDF: Don’t combine multiple invoices

Attachments vs PDF Documents

There’s a difference between:

PDF as document (POST /api/documents/pdf) - PDF is the main invoice
PDF as attachment (POST /api/documents/{id}/attachments) - Adding supporting PDFs to existing documents

Adding PDF Attachments to Existing Documents

# First create the document (JSON or UBL)
curl -X POST "https://api.e-invoice.be/api/documents/" \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
     -d '{ invoice data }'

# Then add PDF as attachment
curl -X POST "https://api.e-invoice.be/api/documents/doc_abc123/attachments" \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
     -F "[email protected]" \
     -F "description=Invoice PDF copy"

Retrieving PDF Documents

Get Document with PDF

curl -X GET "https://api.e-invoice.be/api/documents/doc_abc123" \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Response includes has_pdf flag:

{
  "id": "doc_abc123",
  "type": "INVOICE",
  "invoice_number": "INV-2024-001",
  "has_pdf": true,
  "pdf_url": "https://api.e-invoice.be/api/documents/doc_abc123/pdf"
}

Download PDF

curl -X GET "https://api.e-invoice.be/api/documents/doc_abc123/pdf" \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
     --output invoice.pdf

Auto-Extraction Confidence Levels

When using auto-extraction, the system returns a confidence score:

Confidence	Meaning	Action
0.95 - 1.0	Very High	Generally safe to use
0.80 - 0.94	High	Review key fields (amounts, dates)
0.60 - 0.79	Medium	Manual review required
< 0.60	Low	Manual data entry recommended

if (response.data.extraction_confidence < 0.80) {
  console.warn('Low confidence - manual review required');
  // Present extracted data to user for verification
  reviewExtractionData(response.data.extracted_data);
} else {
  // Proceed with extracted data
  sendDocument(response.data.id);
}

Common Issues

PDF Too Large

Error: File size exceeds maximum limit Solution:

Compress the PDF
Use a lower resolution for images within the PDF
Split into multiple documents if necessary

Invalid PDF Format

Error: Invalid PDF file or corrupted Solution:

Ensure file is a valid PDF
Try re-generating the PDF
Check for file corruption

Extraction Failed

Error: Could not extract data from PDF Solution:

Provide JSON metadata instead
Ensure PDF contains readable text
Check if PDF is encrypted or password-protected

Missing Required Fields

Error: Missing required field: customer_tax_id Solution: Ensure all required Peppol fields are in the JSON metadata:

Vendor and customer Peppol IDs (vendor_tax_id, customer_tax_id)
Invoice ID, date, currency
At least one item with description, quantity, unit price, and tax rate

Best Practices

Always Provide Structured Data

Even if using auto-extraction, providing complete JSON metadata ensures:

Accurate UBL generation
Proper Peppol compliance
Faster processing
No extraction errors

// ✓ Good: Provide complete data
formData.append('data', JSON.stringify(completeInvoiceData));

// ✗ Risky: Rely only on extraction
formData.append('auto_extract', 'true');

Validate Before Upload

Validate your JSON data before uploading:

// Validate first
await api.post('/api/validate/json', invoiceData);

// Then upload PDF
await api.post('/api/documents/pdf', formData);

Keep Original PDFs

Store original PDFs for audit purposes:

const backup = `./backup/${invoiceNumber}.pdf`;
fs.copyFileSync(pdfPath, backup);

Use Descriptive File Names

Name PDFs clearly for tracking:

✓ Good: INV-2024-001_CustomerName.pdf
✗ Poor: invoice.pdf

Monitor Auto-Extraction Quality

Track extraction confidence over time:

const stats = {
  total: 0,
  high_confidence: 0,
  requires_review: 0
};

if (response.data.extraction_confidence > 0.9) {
  stats.high_confidence++;
}

Next Steps

Creating Invoices

Learn standard JSON invoice creation

UBL Documents

Create from UBL XML files

Validation Guide

Test invoice data

API Reference

Explore all endpoints

Getting started

Core guides

Alternative formats

Integration

Partners

​Overview

​How It Works

​Method 1: PDF with JSON Metadata

​Step 1: Prepare Your Data

​Step 2: Upload PDF with Metadata

​Response

​Step 3: Send via Peppol

​Method 2: PDF with Auto-Extraction (Optional)

​Upload PDF for Auto-Extraction

​Response

​Code Examples

​Node.js - PDF with Metadata

​Python - PDF with Metadata

​Node.js - PDF with Auto-Extraction

​Complete Workflow Example

​PDF Requirements

​File Format

​Best Practices for PDFs

​Attachments vs PDF Documents

​Adding PDF Attachments to Existing Documents

​Retrieving PDF Documents

​Get Document with PDF

​Download PDF

​Auto-Extraction Confidence Levels

​Common Issues

​PDF Too Large

​Invalid PDF Format

​Extraction Failed

​Missing Required Fields

​Best Practices

​Next Steps

Creating Invoices

UBL Documents

Validation Guide

API Reference

Overview

How It Works

Method 1: PDF with JSON Metadata

Step 1: Prepare Your Data

Step 2: Upload PDF with Metadata

Response

Step 3: Send via Peppol

Method 2: PDF with Auto-Extraction (Optional)

Upload PDF for Auto-Extraction

Response

Code Examples

Node.js - PDF with Metadata

Python - PDF with Metadata

Node.js - PDF with Auto-Extraction

Complete Workflow Example

PDF Requirements

File Format

Best Practices for PDFs

Attachments vs PDF Documents

Adding PDF Attachments to Existing Documents

Retrieving PDF Documents

Get Document with PDF

Download PDF

Auto-Extraction Confidence Levels

Common Issues

PDF Too Large

Invalid PDF Format

Extraction Failed

Missing Required Fields

Best Practices

Next Steps