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VAT Number Check: How to Validate Any EU VAT ID Free

Free VIES-based VAT number validation for all 27 EU member states, plus UK, Norway, Switzerland. Includes API, bulk validation, and common error fixes.

3 min read·Updated Jul 9, 2026

VAT Number Check: Quick Answer

Validate any EU VAT number free at ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies — the official VIES service run by the European Commission. It confirms the VAT number is currently valid and returns the registered name + address for the member state's tax authority.

VIES: VAT Information Exchange System — the EU's official free validation service.
VAT ID format: Country code + 2-12 alphanumeric characters. e.g. GB123456789, DE123456789, FR12345678901.
Reverse charge: B2B EU cross-border sales — invoice without VAT, buyer self-accounts. Only works with a valid VAT ID.
Coverage: All 27 EU states plus UK (via HMRC), Norway, Switzerland, and most OECD countries via national tools.

Every B2B invoice to an EU customer needs a validated VAT number. Validate at VIES — the free official EU service — before applying reverse-charge or issuing zero-rate invoices.

Why Validating VAT Numbers Matters

Reverse charge invoicing only works with a valid VAT number. Without one, you must charge domestic VAT.

HMRC / tax authorities audit cross-border invoices. A stored VIES Consultation Number is evidence you validated at time of sale.

Fraud detection — VAT-carousel fraud relies on stolen or invalid numbers. VIES catches these instantly.

Using VIES: The Web UI

ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies

Select the member state.

Enter the VAT number without the country prefix.

Optionally add your own VAT number → get a Consultation Number for audit trail.

Result: Valid / Invalid, plus (for most states) registered name + address.

Using the VIES API for CRM Enrichment

SOAP endpoint: https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/checkVatService.wsdl

Request: { countryCode, vatNumber }. Response: { valid, name, address } (name/address may be null for privacy-restricted states).

Rate limits are enforced silently — batch requests with a 200ms delay to stay well under. For higher volumes, LemReveal's VAT Validator tool caches results and cross-references with national registries.

VAT Number Formats by Country

| Country | Format | Example |

|---|---|---|

| Germany | DE + 9 digits | DE123456789 |

| France | FR + 2 chars + 9 digits | FR12345678901 |

| Italy | IT + 11 digits | IT12345678901 |

| Spain | ES + letter + 8 chars | ESA12345678 |

| Netherlands | NL + 9 digits + B + 2 digits | NL123456789B01 |

| Belgium | BE + 10 digits | BE1234567890 |

| UK (via HMRC) | GB + 9 digits | GB123456789 |

Post-Brexit: UK VAT

UK VAT numbers left VIES in 2021. Validate them at gov.uk/check-uk-vat-number — HMRC's free equivalent, same functionality.

Non-EU VAT Systems

Switzerland — [uid.admin.ch](https://www.uid.admin.ch)

Norway — [brreg.no](https://www.brreg.no)

Australia — [ABN Lookup](https://abr.business.gov.au) — see our [ABN Lookup Guide](/help/abn-lookup-guide)

India — GST portal at gst.gov.in

Canada — CRA at canada.ca

Common VIES Errors + Fixes

'Service unavailable' — the member state's database is down (Germany + Italy are frequent). Retry after 15 min.

'Invalid input' — country prefix included in the number field. Remove it (VIES adds it separately).

'Valid but no name' — normal for DE / ES. Cross-check with national registry.

Step-by-Step

1
Go to VIES
Open ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/#/vat-validation — the free official EU validation service.
2
Enter the VAT number
Select the member state, enter the number without the country prefix (VIES adds it), and click 'Verify'.
3
Optionally add your own VAT number
Provide your requester VAT number to get a Consultation Number — HMRC/tax authorities accept this as proof of validation at a specific time.
4
Check name + address match
VIES returns the registered name + address for most countries. Cross-check this against the invoice / contract to detect fraud.
5
Use the VIES SOAP API for bulk
For CRM enrichment, use the VIES SOAP API (ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/checkVatService.wsdl) — free, rate-limited to prevent abuse.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is VIES free?+

Yes — completely free with no login. Both the web interface and the SOAP API are unlimited for reasonable use. VIES is a public service run by the European Commission.

What does 'valid' mean on VIES?+

It means the number is registered and active for intra-EU trade at the moment of the query. It doesn't confirm the company is trading, solvent, or legitimate — just that the tax authority recognizes the number.

Why does VIES sometimes not return a name/address?+

Germany, Spain, and a few others don't return name+address via VIES for privacy reasons. In those cases you get a valid/invalid result only. Cross-reference with the national tax authority for name confirmation.

Can I check UK VAT numbers on VIES?+

No — post-Brexit UK numbers are validated at gov.uk/check-uk-vat-number instead. HMRC provides the same free service.

What's the format for a VAT number?+

Two-letter country code + 8-12 alphanumeric characters. Examples: GB123456789, DE123456789, FR12345678901, IT12345678901, ES A12345678. Check the exact format for the country at ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/faq.

Free Tools

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