What does a valid result from a VAT number checker mean?

VIES confirms the number is registered for VAT in its member state at the moment of the check, so it can be used for intra-EU supplies. It does not say the company is solvent or in good standing, or who is behind the number, and VIES keeps no history, so keep the date of the check.

Can I check a UK VAT number?

Not a Great Britain one. GB VAT numbers left VIES with Brexit, so the checker reports them as out of scope and does not send them. Northern Ireland businesses that trade in goods use the XI prefix, which VIES covers. For Great Britain, use HMRC’s own VAT number checker.

Why did the check not complete?

VIES relays each query to the national VAT database of the member state that issued the number, and those databases go offline from time to time. The API answers 503 and says the number was not checked, which is different from an invalid number. Wait a minute and try again.

Why is the name blank on a valid VAT number?

Some member states, Germany and Spain among them, confirm that a number is valid without disclosing the trader’s name and address. A valid number with no name is a normal result there.

Is the VAT number sent anywhere?

The format check runs in your browser. The live check sends the number to the Prometiam API, which asks VIES; nothing typed here is stored except in the API’s usage log. The page uses a shared demo key with limits, so a busy moment is possible. A free key of your own gives you 1,000 calls over a 14-day trial, no card.

How do I get from a VAT number to the company record?

In most of the countries whose registers the API serves, the national identifier is inside the VAT number: the NIF in a Spanish one, the SIREN in a French one, the NIP in a Polish one and the OIB in a Croatian one. Take it out and search /companies/search with it. Irish and British VAT numbers are not company numbers, so search those companies by name or registration number. Sole traders are never served in Sweden or Croatia, nor enterprises of natural persons in Belgium, nor sole proprietorships and estates in Denmark, so a valid VAT number that belongs to one of them finds no company.

EU VAT number checker (VIES)

Type an EU VAT number and the page checks its format for the member state named by the prefix, then asks VIES, the European Commission's VAT Information Exchange System, whether the number is registered. When it is, the answer carries the registered name and address where the member state discloses them. It covers the 27 EU member states plus XI (Northern Ireland); Greece files under EL, and GB VAT numbers are out of VIES scope since Brexit.

What VIES is

VIES is a search engine, not a database. Each query is relayed to the national VAT database of the member state that issued the number, which answers valid or not valid and, in some countries, the trader's name and address. A supplier of goods to another member state needs the buyer's valid VAT number to zero-rate the sale, which is why invoicing systems and onboarding teams run the check.

What a valid result means, and what it does not

Valid means the number is registered for VAT in its member state at the moment of the check, so it can be used for intra-EU supplies. It is not a solvency check, it does not say the company is in good standing, and it does not tell you who is behind the number. VIES keeps no history, so keep the date of the check. Not valid can mean a typo, a number that was never registered, a cancelled registration or a number not activated for intra-EU trade; it is not proof the company does not exist. When VIES or a member-state register does not answer, that is not an invalid number: the number was not checked.

VAT number formats by country

AT, Austria: the letter U and 8 digits (for example ATU12345678)
BE, Belgium: 10 digits, the first being 0 or 1 (for example BE0123456789)
BG, Bulgaria: 9 or 10 digits (for example BG123456789)
CY, Cyprus: 8 digits and 1 letter (for example CY12345678A)
CZ, Czechia: 8, 9 or 10 digits (for example CZ12345678)
DE, Germany: 9 digits (for example DE123456789)
DK, Denmark: 8 digits (for example DK12345678)
EE, Estonia: 9 digits (for example EE123456789)
EL, Greece: 9 digits (for example EL123456789)
ES, Spain: 9 characters: a letter or digit, 7 digits, then a letter or digit, the first and last never both digits (for example ESA12345678)
FI, Finland: 8 digits (for example FI12345678)
FR, France: a 2-character key (digits or letters, never I or O) and the 9-digit SIREN (for example FR12345678901)
HR, Croatia: 11 digits (for example HR12345678901)
HU, Hungary: 8 digits (for example HU12345678)
IE, Ireland: 7 digits and 1 or 2 letters, or a digit, a letter, 5 digits and a letter (for example IE1234567A)
IT, Italy: 11 digits (for example IT12345678901)
LT, Lithuania: 9 or 12 digits (for example LT123456789)
LU, Luxembourg: 8 digits (for example LU12345678)
LV, Latvia: 11 digits (for example LV12345678901)
MT, Malta: 8 digits (for example MT12345678)
NL, Netherlands: 9 digits, the letter B, then 2 digits (for example NL123456789B01)
PL, Poland: 10 digits (for example PL1234567890)
PT, Portugal: 9 digits (for example PT123456789)
RO, Romania: 2 to 10 digits (for example RO1234567890)
SE, Sweden: 10 digits followed by 01 (for example SE123456789001)
SI, Slovenia: 8 digits (for example SI12345678)
SK, Slovakia: 10 digits (for example SK1234567890)
XI, Northern Ireland: 9 digits, 12 digits, or GD or HA followed by 3 digits (for example XI123456789)

The format check tells you a number is written the way its member state writes VAT numbers. It does not verify national check digits, and only VIES can say whether the number is registered. Great Britain (GB) is not in VIES since Brexit, and the checker says so instead of sending the number.

From a VAT number to the company record

In several countries the national identifier sits inside the VAT number, so the number that passes VIES leads straight to the company record in the Prometiam API. The NIF inside a Spanish VAT number, the SIREN inside a French one, the NIP inside a Polish one, the Y-tunnus inside a Finnish one, the organisationsnummer inside a Swedish one, the enterprise number inside a Belgian one, the OIB inside a Croatian one and the CVR number inside a Danish one each resolve the company. An Irish VAT number is issued by Revenue and is not the CRO number, and a British one is not the Companies House number, so those companies are searched by name or registration number. Norway is not in VIES; its VAT number is the organisasjonsnummer followed by MVA.

Open the checker · VAT validation API guide · Company identifier validator · Get a free API key

From a VAT number to the company record

Country	Inside the VAT number	Company lookup
Spain (ES)	ES followed by the NIF or CIF	`company_number` with the NIF or CIF
France (FR)	FR, a 2-character key and the SIREN	`siren` with the last nine digits
United Kingdom (GB)	Not the company number, and out of VIES scope	Search by Companies House number or name
Ireland (IE)	Issued by Revenue; not the CRO number	Search by CRO number or name
Poland (PL)	PL followed by the NIP	`nip` with the ten digits
Norway (NO)	Not in VIES; the organisasjonsnummer followed by MVA	`company_number` with the organisasjonsnummer
Finland (FI)	FI followed by the Y-tunnus without its hyphen	`vat` with the whole VAT number
Sweden (SE)	SE, the organisationsnummer and 01	`vat` with the whole VAT number
Belgium (BE)	BE followed by the enterprise number	`vat` with the whole VAT number
Croatia (HR)	HR followed by the OIB	`vat` with the whole VAT number
Denmark (DK)	DK followed by the CVR number	`vat` with the whole VAT number

Frequently asked questions

What does a valid result from a VAT number checker mean?: VIES confirms the number is registered for VAT in its member state at the moment of the check, so it can be used for intra-EU supplies. It does not say the company is solvent or in good standing, or who is behind the number, and VIES keeps no history, so keep the date of the check.
Can I check a UK VAT number?: Not a Great Britain one. GB VAT numbers left VIES with Brexit, so the checker reports them as out of scope and does not send them. Northern Ireland businesses that trade in goods use the XI prefix, which VIES covers. For Great Britain, use HMRC’s own VAT number checker.
Why did the check not complete?: VIES relays each query to the national VAT database of the member state that issued the number, and those databases go offline from time to time. The API answers 503 and says the number was not checked, which is different from an invalid number. Wait a minute and try again.
Why is the name blank on a valid VAT number?: Some member states, Germany and Spain among them, confirm that a number is valid without disclosing the trader’s name and address. A valid number with no name is a normal result there.
Is the VAT number sent anywhere?: The format check runs in your browser. The live check sends the number to the Prometiam API, which asks VIES; nothing typed here is stored except in the API’s usage log. The page uses a shared demo key with limits, so a busy moment is possible. A free key of your own gives you 1,000 calls over a 14-day trial, no card.
How do I get from a VAT number to the company record?: In most of the countries whose registers the API serves, the national identifier is inside the VAT number: the NIF in a Spanish one, the SIREN in a French one, the NIP in a Polish one and the OIB in a Croatian one. Take it out and search /companies/search with it. Irish and British VAT numbers are not company numbers, so search those companies by name or registration number. Sole traders are never served in Sweden or Croatia, nor enterprises of natural persons in Belgium, nor sole proprietorships and estates in Denmark, so a valid VAT number that belongs to one of them finds no company.