Department Company
Department Company lets organisations with multiple physical locations or subsidiaries register and manage them as separate accounts while keeping a single parent company registration. Each department operates as its own account with a unique electronic invoicing address (endpoint), while sharing the parent company’s Business Identifier (BID).
This works well for retail chains, schools, municipalities, and logistics companies that need to route invoices to specific locations independently.
The feature is currently in pilot phase and available for approved vendors only. To enable this feature for your vendor, contact Maventa support.
What are Department Companies?
Department Companies are subsidiary accounts created under a parent company. They share the same BID or VAT number with the parent, but have unique electronic address identifiers — specifically Global Location Numbers (GLN) — for routing invoices.
Key characteristics
- Share the same BID as the parent company
- Each has a unique GLN (Global Location Number) endpoint
- Created using the REST API
- Operate as independent accounts with separate inboxes
- Cannot have departments of their own (no nesting)
- Don’t go through standard company authorisation process — verified based on the parent company’s verification
Departments vs multiple endpoints
Use departments when your organisation has multiple physical locations that each need separate Maventa accounts. Different business units can handle invoices independently with full operational separation.
Use multiple endpoints when you don’t need separate accounts for each location. Multiple GLN endpoints under a single company account let all invoices arrive in one account, with the GLN information in the invoice XML for your own routing logic.
How to register departments
Prerequisites
- The parent company must be registered and verified in Maventa
- Your vendor must be approved for the pilot programme
Registration process
- Register the parent company with a valid Business Identifier (see Companies and Settings)
- Create departments using the REST API
- Provide the department name and unique GLN endpoint
- For Peppol connectivity, contact Maventa support to register the GLN endpoints
API endpoint
For detailed API documentation, refer to the Swagger documentation
GLN validation
When registering departments, Maventa validates GLN numbers by cross-referencing with the GS1 registry. You can verify GLN ownership beforehand using the Verified by GS1 service
Validate all GLN numbers against GS1 before registration. GLNs may be owned by parent companies but allocated to subsidiaries — collect complete GLN details upfront to avoid delays.
Department account details
- Shares the parent company’s BID
- Has a unique GLN endpoint identifier
- Cannot create new users during registration
- Automatically linked to the vendor used when creating them
Vendor linking
Departments are automatically linked to the creating vendor. If a department needs a different vendor than the parent company, link that vendor to the department account separately after creation.
Invoice routing
Invoices sent to departments must include the correct GLN endpoint in the invoice XML. Maventa’s routing system uses both the BID and the GLN to route invoices to the correct accounts.
Disabling departments
A parent company cannot be disabled while it has active departments. All department accounts must be disabled first. Contact Maventa support for disabling an account.
Service support matrix
Not all Maventa services are available for department accounts.
Sending
| Service | Supported | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Internal Routing | Invoices can be sent between Maventa accounts | |
| Operator Network | Operator networks supported | |
| Peppol | Peppol network supported | |
| Works out of the box | ||
| B2C (FI/NO/SE) | Depends on the endpoint ID type |
Receiving
| Service | Supported | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Internal Routing | Receive invoices from internal Maventa accounts | |
| Operator Network | Operator network supported | |
| Peppol | Requires manual GLN validation before Peppol registration; automated validation in development | |
| Scanning | Depends on the company country | |
| Detect | Fraud detection supported |
*Peppol registration for departments must be arranged with Maventa support. See Peppol registration for departments below.
Peppol registration for departments
Departments can be registered to Peppol, but the process currently requires manual validation of the GLN endpoints by Maventa.
Registration process
- Create department accounts through the API
- Contact Maventa support with the list of GLN numbers requiring Peppol registration
- Maventa validates the GLNs and registers them to Peppol
- You’ll receive confirmation once registration is complete
Automated validation of GLNs is in development. Once available, departments will be able to register to Peppol directly through the REST API without manual intervention.
Limitations
- GLN only — Only Global Location Numbers are supported as endpoint identifiers. Other identifier types may be added in the future.
- No nesting — Departments cannot have their own departments. The structure is limited to two levels: parent company and departments.
- Pilot access — Your vendor must be approved for the pilot programme before you can create departments.
Best practices
Test before going to production
- Test thoroughly in the staging environment with sample GLNs
- Verify Peppol functionality works as expected before enabling in production
- Confirm all required services are available for your use case
- Validate GLN numbers against the GS1 registry
Communicate with your customers
- Clearly explain whether departments or multiple endpoints are right for their situation
- Document the expected number of departments before registration
- Set clear expectations about Peppol registration timelines
Manage GLN numbers carefully
- Validate all GLN numbers against GS1 before submitting for Peppol registration
- GLNs may be owned by parent companies but allocated to subsidiaries
- Collect complete GLN details upfront to reduce back-and-forth communication
FAQ
What’s the difference between departments and multiple endpoints?
Departments create separate Maventa accounts with individual inboxes and separate management. Multiple endpoints register different GLNs to a single company account, with all invoices arriving in one inbox. Use departments if you need operational separation; use multiple endpoints if you just need invoice routing differentiation.
Can departments have departments?
No. The feature only supports two levels: parent company and departments. Departments cannot have their own departments.
Do departments go through KYC verification?
No. Departments are automatically trusted based on the parent company’s verification status. They don’t require separate KYC processing.
Can departments use different vendors?
Yes. While departments share the parent’s BID, they can be linked to different vendors than the parent company. Vendor linking must be handled separately after department creation.
What happens if I disable the parent company?
A parent company cannot be disabled if it has active departments. All departments must be disabled first.
Are there charges for using departments?
No. Departments don’t have separate pricing. Your existing pricing and contract terms apply as usual.