VAT Registration Checker in the European Union
How to check the validity of an intra-Community VAT number
There are many reasons why you might want to check the validity of a company's intra-Community VAT number registration. For example, when you are working internationally or want to expand into foreign markets, it is important to work with suppliers, distributors and partners located in the EU who are reliable. To do this, checking the registration of their intra-Community VAT number ensures that they have a legal and fiscal existence in their country and that they are able to have commercial relations with other foreign companies within the EU.
With our tool, you can easily check whether their VAT number is valid or not. You will often find this number in the legal notice on their website. If not, don't hesitate to ask them.
How does the verification of the intra-Community VAT number work?
All you have to do is insert the VAT number of the company you wish to check in the form above. Next, we will search the European Commission's Automated VAT Information System (known as VIES) database. This is the official resource that lists all the VAT numbers of all businesses located in the 27 EU member states. Their search engine aggregates all national VAT databases provided by the Member States. It returns an instant response as to whether or not the VAT number submitted is valid.
What if the VAT number is invalid?
If the system returns a response indicating that the VAT number is not valid, this does not necessarily mean that the corresponding business is in an irregular situation. It may be that the company's number has not yet been activated in the VIES system, for example if the company has not yet carried out any intra-Community activity, or if it has only recently been registered. You will then need to ask for more information to ensure that everything is in order before charging a VAT-free amount.
Where should the intra-Community VAT number be mentioned?
It is mandatory to mention the VAT number on all invoices, VAT declarations, declarations of exchange of goods or services.
What is the structure of an intra-Community VAT number?
The structure of a VAT number differs from one Member State to another. For example, the format of the VAT number will be different if the company is located in Portugal, Spain or France. The only constant in the structure is the systematic presence of the country code (ISO standard) which precedes each VAT number provided by the tax administration of the referring country.
AT (Austria) => Letter U + 8 digits
BE (Belgium) => Number 0 + 9 digits
BG (Bulgaria) => 9 or 10 digits
CY (Cyprus) => 8 digits + letter L
CZ (Czech Republic) => 8, 9 or 10 digits
DE (Germany) => 9 digits
DK (Denmark) => 8 digits
EE (Estonia) => 9 digits
EL (Greece) => 9 digits
ES (Spain) => 9 characters (a letter may be present at the beginning or at the end, e.g. ES X9999999X)
FI (Finland) => 8 digits
FR (France) => 2 digits + SIREN code
HR (Croatia) => 11 digits
HU (Hungary) => 8 digits
IE (Ireland) => 7 digits + 1 or 2 letters
IT (Italy) => 11 digits
LT (Lithuania) => 9 or 12 digits
LU (Luxembourg) => 8 digits
LV (Latvia) => 11 digits
MT (Malta) => 8 digits
NL (Netherlands) => 11 digits + letter B
PL (Poland) => 10 digits
PT (Portugal) => 9 digits
RO (Romania) => 2 to 10 digits
SE (Sweden) => 12 digits
SI (Slovenia) => 8 digits
SK (Slovakia) => 10 digits
VAT numbers for the UK
You may come across VAT numbers of UK companies with the format GB000 0000 00. Following the UK's Brexit decision, all these companies' numbers have been removed from the system and are therefore invalid.
VAT numbers for Northern Ireland
For businesses located in Northern Ireland, and despite their exit from the EU, they are specifically allocated an intra-Community VAT number for trade in goods. This number starts with XI and is followed by 9 digits. If you are working with a company based in Northern Ireland, be sure to ask them for their number. With our tool you can also check the validity of this type of number.