Check VAT Number in VIES — EU VAT Validation Tool

ViesVAT VAT checker connects directly to the European Commission's VIES service. Enter the two-letter country code and VAT number (without country prefix) and we'll query the appropriate national registry instantly.

Why verify EU VAT numbers

Verifying a customer's EU VAT number before issuing an intra-Community invoice (with 0% VAT under Article 138 of the EU VAT Directive) is the cornerstone of EU B2B commerce. If you issue a 0% VAT invoice to a customer whose VAT number is not active in VIES, your tax authority may disallow the zero rate and assess full VAT (typically 19–27% depending on member state) plus interest. The VIES check, with its consultation ID, is the legally recognized evidence that you exercised due diligence.

How our checker works

Pick the customer's country from the dropdown — you'll see all 27 EU member states plus Northern Ireland (XI prefix). Enter the VAT number without the country prefix and without spaces or dashes. Click 'Check'. Our backend sends a SOAP request to the EU VIES service at ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/services/checkVatService, which routes the query to the national tax registry. Response time is typically 1–3 seconds. You'll get one of three outcomes: valid, invalid, or service unavailable.

What the response contains

For a valid VAT number, VIES returns: validation status (true), the registered company name, registered address (with formatting that varies by country), the date of the query, the country code, and most importantly the consultation identifier — a unique string that proves you performed this check on this date for this number. Save the consultation ID alongside the invoice in your bookkeeping records. Some countries (notably Germany and Spain) sometimes return status only, without name and address — this is a national policy choice, not a system error.

Country-specific notes

Not all 27 registries behave the same way. Germany's BZSt is the most commonly unavailable (MS_UNAVAILABLE errors), accounting for ~50% of all VIES service interruptions. Italy and Spain are next. Smaller countries like Estonia, Luxembourg, and Malta have near-100% uptime. Some countries (Italy, Spain) require an explicit additional registration for intra-Community operations beyond the basic national VAT — a new company may have a valid national VAT but not yet appear in VIES until they complete this extra registration.

Bulk and API access

For high-volume validation, manual web checks become impractical. We provide a REST API with SDKs for PHP, Python, Node.js, .NET and Java. Plans start at 100 free queries/month. The API includes automatic retry handling for MS_UNAVAILABLE responses, caching to respect EU recommendations on query volume, batch endpoints for verifying up to 1,000 VAT numbers in a single call, and webhooks for status change alerts. Full documentation in our <a href="/en/api/">API section</a>.

Post-Brexit: UK and Northern Ireland

Since January 1, 2021, the United Kingdom is no longer part of VIES. UK VAT numbers (GB prefix) cannot be verified through VIES — use HMRC's 'Check a UK VAT number' service at gov.uk/check-uk-vat-number instead. The single exception is Northern Ireland: under the Northern Ireland Protocol, VAT numbers with the XI prefix remain in VIES, but only for goods transactions, not services. If you trade goods with Northern Ireland, you can still use VIES with XI prefix selection.

Legal basis and data retention

VIES is established by Council Regulation (EU) 904/2010 on administrative cooperation in VAT. Each member state is legally obliged to maintain an accurate, real-time registry of VAT-registered traders and to make it queryable through VIES. The consultation ID issued by VIES has legal evidentiary value across all 27 member states — your local tax authority can verify it with DG TAXUD. We recommend storing consultation IDs alongside invoices for at least 5 years (most member states' tax statute of limitations); 7 years is safer.

EU VAT compliance for non-EU businesses

If you are a non-EU business selling B2B into the EU, VIES checks are a critical part of your compliance workflow. Under the EU VAT Directive (2006/112/EC Article 138), when you supply goods to a VAT-registered EU business with a valid VAT-UE number, the supply can qualify for zero-rating in the destination country. Without verification through VIES (and without preserving the consultation ID as evidence), tax authorities can challenge the zero-rate treatment years later — typically resulting in back-assessments of the full VAT amount plus interest. For US companies selling to EU businesses, you generally don't charge any VAT (reverse charge applies to the buyer), but you must verify and document. For UK companies post-Brexit, the EU treats you as non-EU; same documentation requirements apply, plus separate UK HMRC verification for UK clients. For Swiss, Norwegian, or other EEA businesses, VIES still applies for EU clients. The consultation ID we store in our system is recognized by all 27 EU member state tax authorities as proof of verification — backed by Council Regulation (EU) 904/2010 on administrative cooperation in VAT.

Integration with major ERP systems

ViesVAT integrates with all major ERP platforms used by international businesses. SAP: certified app on SAP Store, works with S/4HANA, ECC, Business One. Microsoft Dynamics 365: AppSource extension for Business Central and Finance & Operations. Oracle NetSuite: bundled SuiteApp. Sage Intacct: marketplace integration. Workday Financial Management: REST API with Workday Studio integration. QuickBooks Online (Intuit): app on Intuit App Store, popular among US-based EU exporters. Xero: app marketplace. Stripe: webhook integration for B2B Stripe Tax. Shopify and WooCommerce: plugins for e-commerce platforms with EU B2B sales. For systems without official integrations: REST API with SDKs for PHP, Python, Node.js, .NET, Java covers virtually any language stack. Typical integration time for major ERPs: 2-5 business days with our technical support. For custom integrations: developer documentation includes 30+ sample patterns covering common scenarios.

Pricing in USD and EUR — billing options

ViesVAT bills in EUR by default, with USD invoicing available for North American customers. Plan Free: 0 EUR/month, 100 verifications. Plan Pro: 49 EUR/month or 499 EUR/year (-15%), 10,000 verifications, SLA 99.5%. Plan Business: 199 EUR/month or 1,999 EUR/year, unlimited verifications within fair use, SLA 99.9%, dedicated support. Plan Enterprise: from 999 EUR/month, on-premise option, custom SLA. Payment methods: credit/debit card (Stripe), SEPA direct debit (EU customers), wire transfer (Business+, NET 14 terms), ACH (US customers, on request). VAT invoicing: we invoice with reverse charge for EU B2B customers with valid VAT number; standard VAT for B2C; no VAT for non-EU customers. Annual contracts available for Business and Enterprise tiers with negotiated discounts. Custom pricing for high-volume customers (1M+ verifications/month) — contact [email protected].

GDPR, data residency, and compliance certifications

All ViesVAT infrastructure is hosted in EU data centers — primary in Frankfurt (OVH), secondary in Warsaw (Equinix). No data ever leaves the EU. We hold or are pursuing the following certifications: ISO 27001 (information security management — certified Q4 2026), SOC 2 Type II (controls audit — annual), PCI DSS Level 1 (payment data, via Stripe processor). Our data processing agreement (DPA) is GDPR-Article-28 compliant and available to all customers without negotiation. Sub-processors: Stripe (payments), AWS (some infrastructure, EU regions only), OVH (primary hosting), Equinix (secondary). Full list updated quarterly in our customer portal. Right to erasure honored within 30 days, except for legally-required retention (accounting records: 7 years per Polish law).

Common pitfalls when validating EU VAT numbers

We've processed millions of VAT validations and consistently see the same mistakes from new users. First: confusing the country code prefix with the number itself. The country is selected from the dropdown; the number is entered without the prefix. So for DE123456789, you select Germany (DE) and enter 123456789. Second: assuming GB (United Kingdom) is still in VIES. It is not, since 1 January 2021. Use the UK HMRC tool. Northern Ireland numbers with the XI prefix are still in VIES but only for goods. Third: confusing Greece's prefix. It is EL (from Hellas), not GR. This catches even experienced accountants. Fourth: not normalizing whitespace and dashes when copying numbers from emails or PDFs. Strip everything that isn't a digit or letter before submitting. Fifth: validating only once and reusing the result indefinitely. VAT status can change daily; the legal protection of a consultation ID applies to the date of the check, not into the indefinite future. Re-verify quarterly for regular partners, and always before issuing a high-value invoice. Sixth: relying on screenshots without consultation IDs. A screenshot can be forged; a consultation ID can be verified by tax authorities via DG TAXUD. Always use qualified verification mode.

How to verify your own EU VAT number

A common task often overlooked: verifying your own VAT number in VIES after registering for intra-EU transactions. After your home country's tax authority approves your VAT-UE registration, the data takes time to propagate to VIES — typically 7-14 days for Poland, 5-10 days for France, 14-21 days for Germany, 30-60 days for Italy (slowest). Until propagation is complete, your number will return invalid in VIES, which can be confusing when EU customers verify you and decide not to proceed. To check your own number, simply use our verification tool just like any other. If it returns invalid 14+ days after registration approval, contact your tax authority — there may be a synchronization issue. ViesVAT customers can enable the 'self-monitor' feature in the customer portal: we automatically check your own number daily and notify you when it becomes active. This is particularly useful for newly registered businesses planning to start cross-border invoicing.

Reverse charge mechanics for intra-EU B2B transactions

When you sell goods or services to a VAT-registered EU business in another member state, the reverse charge mechanism applies under Article 196 of the EU VAT Directive (services) or Article 138 (intra-Community supply of goods). Practically: you do not charge VAT on your invoice. Your customer self-assesses VAT in their country using their local rate and claims it back as input VAT (typically netting to zero in their return). This eliminates double taxation across borders. Your invoice must include several specific elements: your VAT number with country prefix, your customer's VAT number with country prefix, explicit notation 'reverse charge' or 'autoliquidation' or 'intra-Community supply' in any EU language, reference to the relevant Directive article. Missing any of these can invalidate the zero-rate treatment. Our system generates compliant invoice templates automatically when integrated with your accounting software. For services to non-EU customers (US, UK, etc.), reverse charge does not apply in the same way — different rules govern those transactions, generally B2B services to non-EU recipients are outside the scope of EU VAT entirely.

Frequently Asked Questions

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