What is a GLN?
The GLN (Global Location Number) is a 13-digit numeric identifier issued by GS1 that uniquely identifies a location, legal entity, or function anywhere in the world. It is part of the same family of GS1 identifiers as the GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) used on retail barcodes.
In the e-invoicing world, the GLN matters for one reason: it is one of the most widely accepted Peppol participant identifiers, registered under ISO 6523 scheme 0088 ("EAN Location Code", with GS1 as the issuing agency). When an organisation is already a GS1 member — common in retail, grocery, healthcare, and logistics — using its GLN as its Peppol endpoint is the path of least resistance.
Structure of a GLN
A GLN is always exactly 13 digits, composed of:
1. GS1 Company Prefix — Variable length (typically 6–11 digits), assigned by the local GS1 member organisation when a company registers with GS1.
2. Location Reference — The remaining digits before the check digit, assigned by the company itself to identify its locations or entities.
3. Check Digit — A single digit computed using the standard GS1 modulo-10 algorithm (Luhn-like). Validators must verify this digit; an invalid check digit means the GLN is malformed.
Because the company prefix is variable-length, you cannot split a GLN into fixed-width fields without knowing the prefix length. Validation libraries typically just verify the overall length and check digit.
Three Kinds of GLN
GS1 defines three distinct uses for a GLN, and the distinction matters when populating invoice fields:
1. GLN of a Legal Entity — Identifies a company as a legal person (e.g. "Carrefour SA").
2. GLN of a Function — Identifies a role or department within a company (e.g. "Accounts Payable").
3. GLN of a Physical Location — Identifies a specific site (e.g. "Warehouse 42, Lyon").
On an invoice, a seller or buyer GLN typically identifies a legal entity, while a Deliver-to or Ship-to GLN identifies a physical location.
GLN as a Peppol Participant ID
In Peppol, participants are identified by a schemeID:identifier pair. When using a GLN, the pair is:
0088:<13-digit-GLN>
Example: 0088:7300009000004.
This Peppol ID is what goes into:
@schemeID="0088".@schemeID="0088".The receiver's Access Point resolves the Peppol ID to an SMP and delivers the document accordingly.
Where GLN Is Most Common
The 0088 scheme is the dominant participant ID format in several contexts:
In countries with strong national identifier schemes (Germany's Leitweg-ID, France's SIRET, Italy's Partita IVA), the GLN typically plays a secondary role — used alongside the national identifier rather than in place of it.
GLN vs. GTIN and Other GS1 Keys
It is easy to confuse GS1's identifier family. A brief orientation:
GLN is the only one that routinely appears in e-invoicing.
What ERP Developers Need to Know
1. Validate the 13-digit format and check digit — Do this before storing GLNs or routing invoices to 0088 endpoints.
2. Support multiple participant ID schemes per customer — A large retailer may expose its GLN in Peppol (0088) while also having a national ID (SIRET, KVK, Enterprise Number). Your customer master data model should allow several schemes per party.
3. Don't assume the GLN and the legal entity are one-to-one — A single company may have a legal-entity GLN plus dozens of location GLNs. Routing an invoice to the wrong GLN can end up in the wrong back-office system.
4. Query SMP/SML discovery before sending — Even if you have a GLN, confirm via Peppol's SML/SMP that the recipient is registered and supports the document type you want to send.
5. Respect GS1 licensing — A GLN is only valid while the holder's GS1 subscription is active. In rare cases, GLNs can be reassigned after deregistration, though GS1 recommends against it.
Relation to EN 16931 and Peppol BIS 3.0
EN 16931 defines BT-34 and BT-49 as the seller and buyer electronic addresses and allows any ISO 6523 scheme to be used. Peppol BIS 3.0 inherits that flexibility but restricts the practical set of scheme IDs via the Peppol Code Lists. Scheme 0088 (GLN) has been on that list since the earliest Peppol releases and remains universally supported by Access Points and SMPs.