How do I send my incoming invoices to Robaws via the RobawsBox?
From 1 January 2026 it is a legal obligation in Belgium to send invoices between VAT liable parties via Peppol.
Incoming invoices that are not sent via Peppol (for example from foreign suppliers or subcontractors) can easily be sent to Robaws via the RobawsBox.
A RobawsBox is an e-mail address that is used to send incoming invoices to. The incoming invoices you send to the RobawsBox are then added automatically in your Robaws environment. Using the RobawsBox saves a lot of time. For example, you can forward e-mails from suppliers to Robaws straight away, so that you no longer have to download the pdf documents onto your computer in order to upload them into Robaws again afterwards.
You can use a RobawsBox in combination with OCR or UBL, but that is not compulsory.
- You use OCR to convert an invoice in .pdf format into text that a software package such as Robaws can read. In combination with the RobawsBox this is of course a major added value. It ensures that the lines and details of the forwarded document are also added automatically. Depending on the type of OCR that is used, the lines are also all read in separately.
- UBL means that you receive an invoice in .xml, which no longer has to be converted into readable text. All details provided in the supplier's UBL file are read in when the incoming invoice is created in Robaws.
You can use one RobawsBox, but you can also create several. For example, you can choose to create one RobawsBox per type of OCR, so that when you send an invoice you can choose which OCR type reads it in. Using several RobawsBoxes can also be an added value if you work with multiple companies.
Use
The RobawsBox serves 3 purposes:
- The RobawsBox can be used as an actual e-mail address to send e-mails with an incoming invoice as an attachment to. You do this from your mailbox.
- In addition, the RobawsBox can be used when you upload incoming invoices in Robaws. You do this via the overview of the incoming invoices, with the Upload purchase invoices action button at the top of the bar. You can then choose the RobawsBox you want to use.
- Finally, the Robaws App is used when uploading a till receipt from your smartphone. When sending, you can choose which RobawsBox you want to use for this (if several RobawsBoxes are known).
As soon as the incoming invoices are forwarded, they arrive in Robaws.
When using premium OCR, they are first added to 'Pending scans'. You can consult these via the Pending scans action button in the bar of the incoming invoices overview.
Settings
Via settings > incoming invoices > RobawsBox you can create one or several RobawsBoxes.
General settings
Some settings apply** to all RobawsBoxes** that have been created in the environment. Here you cannot make a distinction per RobawsBox.
Setting | Explanation |
|---|---|
Block and report duplicate incoming invoices | If this function is activated, you cannot upload an incoming invoice a second time. If you try to do so, you get a message that this has failed. |
Automatically start an approval request for incoming invoices via the RobawsBox | If this function is activated, the approval request for the invoice is started immediately when an incoming invoice is uploaded. |
Try to link items | Robaws checks whether there are items in the database that can be linked automatically to the incoming invoice that was read in. |
Try to link supply orders | Robaws looks at the lines of the incoming invoice that was read in. If the items, quantities and total amounts there are the same as a line of a supply order, that supply order is linked automatically. |
Settings per RobawsBox
Besides these general settings, there are also settings that can be configured specifically per RobawsBox.
Setting | Explanation |
|---|---|
E-mail suffix | This function only becomes visible once you set up more than 1 RobawsBox. This is the suffix that comes after the full stop following the company id. This is how you distinguish between the different RobawsBoxes. |
You can link a company to a RobawsBox in advance. If you use multiple companies, this allows you to fix a company on the incoming invoice in advance. | |
You can link a journal to a RobawsBox in advance. If you work with several journals, this ensures that the correct numbering is followed. | |
Limit senders to | If you want to limit which e-mail addresses can send, you enter the e-mail addresses that are allowed to send here. If that is not the case, you can leave this empty. |
Process UBL | This function has to be activated if you want to activate the reading in of UBL. |
Process DICO | |
Apply OCR | This function has to be activated if you want to activate the application of OCR. |
This function only becomes visible once the 'Apply OCR' function has been activated. Here you can choose between the 2 types of OCR. |
Updated on: 08/09/2026
Thank you!