Terms of Service

These Terms of Service (the Terms) govern the use of Beliq. The provider is Tobias Satzger, c/o IP-Management #10800, Ludwig-Erhard-Str. 18, 20459 Hamburg, Germany (we, us). This is a translation of the German Allgemeine Geschäftsbedingungen, which is the original and the binding version (see Section 14.6).

1. Scope and contracting parties

1.1 What these Terms cover

These Terms apply to registering an account and using the API, the dashboard (dashboard.beliq.eu), the website (beliq.eu) and the documentation (docs.beliq.eu). Our Acceptable Use Policy forms part of this contract.

1.2 Free offerings

The free plan and the tools usable without an account on our website (the invoice generator and the API playground) are governed by the Terms for Free Offerings. Their provisions on warranty, liability, availability and termination take precedence over Sections 4, 8, 9 and 12 of these Terms. Otherwise these Terms also apply to the free plan.

1.3 Businesses only

Beliq is for businesses only, meaning entrepreneurs within the meaning of Section 14 BGB: companies, organizations and self-employed professionals acting in the course of a trade, business or profession. By registering, the customer confirms that they act in that capacity and not as a consumer (Section 13 BGB), and that they are authorized to enter into this contract for the business they represent. No contract is concluded with consumers.

There is therefore no right of withdrawal: Sections 355 and 312g BGB grant it to consumers only. Private individuals can use the invoice generator and the API playground on our website without an account and without concluding a contract.

1.4 No conflicting terms

The customer's own general terms and conditions do not become part of this contract, even if we do not object to them separately, whether they differ from, conflict with or supplement these Terms. They apply only where we have expressly agreed to them in text form. This also applies where we perform without reservation while aware of such terms.

2. Subject matter

2.1 Scope of the service

Beliq is a REST API for generating, validating, parsing and converting EN 16931 compliant electronic invoices. Eight formats are part of the service, in two verification tiers matching the public coverage page:

• Authority-checked (validated against the format authority's own published rulebook, pinned by version and hash): XRechnung (UBL and CII), Factur-X, ZUGFeRD 2.x, Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 (UBL) and the Netherlands NLCIUS overlay.
• Schema-checked (validated against the official XSD schema published by the national authority; no machine-readable rulebook is published for these formats): FatturaPA (Italy), Facturae (Spain) and e-SLOG (Slovenia).

The EN 16931 semantic core underlies all of them. The service includes:

• Generation of e-invoices in XRechnung (UBL and CII), Factur-X and ZUGFeRD 2.x (PDF/A-3), Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 (UBL) and the NLCIUS overlay
• Validation of all eight formats above: against the official XSD schemas, the EN 16931 Schematron rules and the country- or network-specific CIUS and profile rules where applicable for the Authority-checked tier; against the official XSD schema for the Schema-checked tier
• Parsing of UBL, CII and Factur-X / ZUGFeRD invoices into normalized JSON
• Conversion between the supported formats
• Webhook delivery with HMAC-SHA256 signing
• PDF/A-3 compliance validation using VeraPDF
• A dashboard for API key management, usage and account administration

2.2 Not part of the service

The service generates and validates electronic invoice documents. In particular, it does not include:

• Transmission of invoices over the Peppol Network. Beliq produces documents that comply with Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 but is not a Peppol Access Point. Sending documents to recipients via Peppol or any other channel is the customer's responsibility, or that of an Access Point they engage.
• Transmission through France's B2B infrastructure. Beliq produces Factur-X documents but is not a Plateforme Agréée registered by the DGFiP, does not connect to the central public platform (PPF) or its directory, and does not operate e-invoicing or e-reporting transmission flows. Routing through an approved PA and meeting the French reporting obligations remain the customer's responsibility, or that of a partner they engage.
• Submission of Italian invoices to the Sistema di Interscambio (SDI) or any other national clearance network. Beliq validates FatturaPA documents (Schema-checked tier, see Section 2.1) but is not an SDI operator or a certified transmission intermediary. Digital signing, routing to SDI and compliance with the Agenzia delle Entrate channel rules remain the customer's responsibility, or that of a partner they engage.
• Submission of Spanish invoices to FACe or through the forthcoming B2B channel under the Crea y Crece law. Beliq validates Facturae documents (Schema-checked tier, see Section 2.1) but is not a FACe submission operator or a Spanish exchange platform, and Facturae is not part of the generation service. XAdES signing, routing to FACe, to a Spanish exchange platform or to a Peppol Access Point, and compliance with the applicable channel rules remain the customer's responsibility, or that of a partner they engage.
• Compliance with Spain's VeriFactu regime. VeriFactu (Real Decreto 1007/2023) sets requirements for the invoicing software itself, including tamper-evident, hash-chained records and optional real-time reporting to the AEAT. It is not a transmission channel that a disclaimer could place you outside of. Beliq's generator does not currently produce VeriFactu-conformant records, so meeting any VeriFactu obligations remains the customer's responsibility. We will state clearly if and when Beliq supports VeriFactu.
• Submission of Romanian invoices to ANAF e-Factura via the SPV portal. Beliq is not an ANAF-registered intermediary, does not handle certificate-based authentication against ANAF services and does not meet the record-retention obligations of the national system. The RO_CIUS national overlay is not part of the current service. Signing, uploading to ANAF and compliance with OUG 120/2021, OMF 1366/2021 and Ordinul 4092/2022 remain the customer's responsibility, or that of a partner they engage.
• Tax, accounting or legal advice. Validation results are based on the official rules and schemas in force at the time of processing and do not constitute professional advice.
• Long-term storage or audit-proof archiving of generated invoices.

2.3 Processing of invoice content

Invoice content submitted via the API is processed in memory and not stored persistently. We log metadata for each operation (operation type, status, processing time) but not the invoice data itself. Details, and any deviation for future features, follow from the Data Processing Agreement.

3. Conclusion of contract and registration

3.1 How the contract comes about

The presentation of the service on our website is not a binding offer. By submitting the registration form, the customer makes an offer to conclude a usage contract. The contract comes about when we activate the account or otherwise enable use.

3.2 Registration

Registration uses an email address and a password, or one of the OAuth providers offered in the dashboard (currently Google, GitHub and Microsoft). The customer provides accurate information and keeps it up to date.

3.3 Account security

The customer is responsible for all activity carried out through their account and API keys. They keep credentials and API keys safe and notify us without undue delay at hello@beliq.eu if they suspect unauthorized use. The statutory allocation of the burden of proof remains unaffected.

4. Our services

4.1 Availability

We owe API availability of 99.5 % on a monthly average, measured at the handover point between our infrastructure and the public internet. That availability defines the contractually agreed condition within the meaning of Section 536 BGB. The following do not count as downtime:

• faults originating in the customer's equipment, network connections or software, or in third parties they engage,
• faults in the public internet outside our sphere of responsibility,
• force majeure.

Maintenance is not carved out: where maintenance interrupts the service, it counts like any other downtime.

4.2 Maintenance

We carry out maintenance and updates in a way that keeps the service reachable while they run. Where an interruption is exceptionally unavoidable, we announce it at least five business days in advance in text form, place it between 22:00 and 06:00 (CET or CEST) and keep it as short as possible. Measures needed to avert an acute risk to security, data integrity or operations may be carried out at any time without prior notice; we inform the customer immediately afterwards.

4.3 Support

We provide support by email at hello@beliq.eu on business days. We commit to response or restoration times only where expressly agreed in text form.

4.4 Further development

We develop the service continuously and may change, add to or replace individual features as long as the contractually owed scope is not materially impaired. We announce a material reduction of the scope at least 30 days in advance in text form; the customer may then terminate the contract with effect from the date the change takes effect.

4.5 Usage limits

Each plan includes a monthly document quota. One document is one API call that runs the engine, meaning a generate, validate, parse, convert, send or receive call. Calls that only read account data or manage documents already produced consume no quota. Calls made with a test-mode key do not count against the plan quota; they have their own monthly test allowance. Delivered invoices are billed separately per invoice. The quota resets at the start of each billing period. Requests are additionally subject to a per-minute rate limit depending on the plan; requests beyond it receive an HTTP 429 response.

5. Rights of use

5.1 The customer's rights

For the term of the contract we grant the customer a simple, non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use the service within the agreed scope for their own business purposes. There is no claim to the source code. Resale, sublicensing and transfer to third parties require our prior consent in text form; use by the customer's own service providers for the customer's purposes remains permitted.

5.2 Customer content

All rights in the content submitted by the customer remain with the customer. The customer grants us a simple right, limited to the term of the contract, to reproduce and modify that content to the extent necessary to provide the service.

5.3 Our rights

Beliq's software, API, documentation, design and signs are protected by copyright and trademark law. Rights not expressly granted to the customer remain with us.

5.4 Feedback

If the customer submits suggestions or comments on improving the service, we may use them free of charge and without time limit. We are under no obligation to implement them. The customer's confidential information under Section 11 remains unaffected.

6. The customer's obligations

6.1 Catalogue of obligations

The customer shall

• provide accurate registration and contact data and keep it up to date,
• keep credentials and API keys confidential and not make them publicly accessible,
• comply with the Acceptable Use Policy,
• ensure that they hold the necessary rights in the content they submit and that processing it does not breach legal provisions or third-party rights,
• meet the tax and commercial retention obligations that apply to them, since we do not store invoice content persistently (see Section 2.3),
• operate and secure their own webhook endpoints and verify the signature of incoming deliveries.

6.2 Indemnification

If the customer culpably breaches an obligation under Section 6.1 and a third party asserts a claim against us as a result, the customer indemnifies us against that claim and reimburses the reasonable costs of legal defence. We inform the customer of such a claim without undue delay, make no admission and enter into no settlement without their consent in text form, and give them the opportunity to take over the defence. Further claims remain unaffected.

7. Fees

7.1 Two separate relationships

Paid plans are sold by Armitage Labs OÜ (Creem), Tallinn, Estonia, as merchant of record in its own name and for its own account. Creem is therefore the customer's counterparty for the purchase: Creem charges the payment method, issues receipts and invoices, applies the tax treatment and handles refunds. Creem's own terms apply to that purchase in addition to these Terms.

These Terms govern only the usage relationship between the customer and us. They create no payment obligation towards us; we do not receive the customer's payment directly.

7.2 Plans and prices

The available plans and the applicable prices follow from the pricing overview on beliq.eu. The prices shown there are final prices; the applicable VAT is included and Creem itemizes it at checkout. Plans can be changed in the dashboard; an upgrade takes effect immediately and is billed pro rata, a downgrade takes effect at the end of the current billing period.

7.3 Price changes

We announce price changes at least 30 days before they take effect, in text form. They apply to an existing subscription no earlier than the start of the next billing period after that notice period ends. If the customer does not agree to the change, they may terminate the contract with effect from the date the change takes effect; we point this out in the announcement.

7.4 Payment failures

If Creem informs us that a subscription has been terminated, paused or reversed for non-payment, we move the account to the free plan. Claims arising from the non-payment are Creem's alone.

8. Warranty

8.1 Applicable law

Providing the service for use over time is governed by German rental law (Sections 535 ff. BGB). We provide the service in a condition fit for contractual use and maintain it in that condition for the term of the contract. The scope under Section 2 and the availability under Section 4.1 determine what that condition is.

8.2 Exclusion of no-fault liability for defects present at the outset

No-fault liability for defects already present when the contract was concluded (Section 536a(1) first alternative BGB) is excluded. For such defects we are liable only under Section 9, that is, where we are at fault. The customer's rights to have defects remedied (Section 535(1) sentence 2 BGB) and to a reduction of fees (Section 536 BGB) remain unaffected.

8.3 Notice of defects and reduction

The customer notifies us of defects in text form without undue delay after becoming aware of them, describing them so that we can reproduce them. If we fall short of the availability owed under Section 4.1, the fee for the affected period is reduced under Section 536 BGB; we refund the overpaid amount on request. Sections 536b and 536c BGB remain unaffected.

8.4 What we do and do not promise

We warrant that validation runs against the rulebooks and schemas listed in the coverage overview, in the versions stated there. We do not warrant that every generated invoice will be accepted by every recipient, every validation tool or every national authority, or that the service meets every individual requirement of the customer. We give a guarantee only where we expressly designate it as such in text form.

9. Liability

9.1 Unlimited liability

We are liable without limitation

• for intent and gross negligence,
• for injury to life, body or health,
• for fraudulent concealment of a defect,
• to the extent of a guarantee we have given,
• under the German Product Liability Act and other mandatory statutory provisions.

9.2 Liability for slight negligence

In cases of slight negligence we are liable only for the breach of essential contractual obligations, meaning obligations whose fulfilment makes the proper performance of the contract possible in the first place and on whose observance the customer may regularly rely. In such cases liability is limited to the foreseeable damage typical for this type of contract, and in any event to a maximum of EUR 10,000 per claim, but not less than twelve times the monthly fee applicable to the customer's plan at the time of the event giving rise to the damage.

That amount corresponds to the damage typically to be expected for a service of this scope and this price level. Where the customer needs cover beyond it, we can agree that separately in an individual case.

9.3 Exclusion otherwise

Any further liability is excluded. This applies in particular to slight negligence outside essential contractual obligations.

9.4 Loss of data

For loss of data we are liable, subject to the paragraphs above, only up to the amount that recovery would have cost had the customer backed up their data properly and regularly.

9.5 Persons covered

This Section 9 also operates in favour of our legal representatives, staff and vicarious agents.

9.6 Free offerings

For the free plan and the tools usable without an account, the statutory limitation of liability under Sections 521 and 599 BGB applies as set out in the Terms for Free Offerings.

10. Data protection

Our Privacy Policy describes the personal data we process as controller. Where the customer submits personal data of third parties through the API, such as names and addresses in invoices, they are the controller and we are the processor. For that processing our Data Processing Agreement under Art. 28 GDPR applies and forms part of this contract.

11. Confidentiality

Each party keeps the other party's confidential information confidential, uses it only to perform this contract and discloses it only to persons who need it for that purpose and are themselves bound to confidentiality. Confidential information is information marked as confidential or whose confidentiality follows from the circumstances, including trade secrets within the meaning of the German Trade Secrets Act (GeschGehG).

The obligation does not apply to information that

• is public or becomes public without breach of this obligation,
• was already known to the receiving party,
• was lawfully obtained from a third party without a confidentiality obligation,
• was independently developed.

Disclosure is permitted where a law, a court or an authority requires it; the disclosing party informs the other party beforehand where legally permitted. The obligation continues for three years after the contract ends; claims under the GeschGehG are not subject to that time limit.

12. Term and termination

12.1 Term

The usage contract runs for an indefinite period. The term and notice period of a paid subscription follow from the subscription concluded with Creem.

12.2 Ordinary termination

The customer may cancel a subscription at any time in the dashboard, with effect from the end of the current billing period. The customer may end the free plan at any time by deleting the account. We may terminate the usage contract with three months' notice to the end of a month.

12.3 Termination for cause

The right of either party to terminate for cause (Sections 543 and 314 BGB) remains unaffected. For us, cause exists in particular where the customer seriously breaches the Acceptable Use Policy, or breaches it repeatedly despite a warning, where the customer materially endangers the security or stability of the service, or where the law prohibits us from continuing.

12.4 Suspension

Instead of terminating, we may suspend access in whole or in part where cause under Section 12.3 exists and suspension is the milder measure. We announce the suspension beforehand and set a reasonable period to remedy the cause, unless there is an immediate risk to the security or operation of the service or to third-party rights; in that case we inform the customer immediately afterwards. We lift the suspension as soon as its cause no longer applies. For the duration of an unjustified suspension for which we are responsible, the customer owes no fee.

12.5 Consequences of termination

Access to the service ends when the termination takes effect. We delete account data as set out in our Privacy Policy; for data we process on the customer's behalf, the Data Processing Agreement applies. Since we do not store invoice content persistently (see Section 2.3), retaining it is the customer's responsibility.

13. Changes to these Terms

13.1 Permitted changes

We may change these Terms where this is necessary to adapt them to changes in the law or in the case law of the highest courts, to close a gap that arose after the contract was concluded, or to reflect changes in the scope of the service that do not affect the main contractual obligations. Changes to the main contractual obligations or to the balance between service and consideration cannot be made this way.

13.2 Procedure

We announce changes at least 30 days before they take effect, in text form, make the amended version available and describe the material changes. The announcement points out the deadline, the right to object and what silence means.

13.3 Objection

If the customer does not object in text form before the change takes effect, their consent is deemed given. If they object, the contract continues on the previous terms; either party may then terminate it under Section 12.2.

14. Final provisions

14.1 Governing law

The law of the Federal Republic of Germany applies, excluding the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG).

14.2 Jurisdiction

For all disputes arising out of or in connection with this contract, the parties agree on the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Federal Republic of Germany (Art. 25 of Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012). Which German court has local jurisdiction follows from the statutory rules. Our right to sue at the customer's general place of jurisdiction remains unaffected. Where that agreement does not apply, the statutory rules on jurisdiction govern.

14.3 Text form and precedence of individual agreements

Changes and additions to this contract require text form. Individual agreements take precedence over these Terms under Section 305b BGB, regardless of their form.

14.4 Assignment

The customer may transfer rights under this contract to third parties only with our consent in text form. Section 354a HGB remains unaffected.

14.5 Severability

If a provision of these Terms is or becomes invalid, the validity of the remaining provisions is unaffected. The statutory provisions take the place of the invalid provision.

14.6 Language version

These Terms were drafted in German. This English version is for information only; in the event of discrepancies the German version prevails.

14.7 Contact

Questions about these Terms: hello@beliq.eu.