VAT Number Validation¶

Validate European VAT numbers using the official VIES (VAT Information Exchange System) database.

Endpoint¶

GET /vat?vat_number={vat_number}

Parameters¶

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`vat_number`	string	Yes	The VAT number to validate (e.g. `BE0123456789`)

Example Request¶

GET /vat?vat_number=BE0123456789

Example Response¶

{
  "valid": true,
  "vat_number": "123456789",
  "name": "COMPANY NAME",
  "address": "COMPANY ADDRESS",
  "country_code": "BE"
}

Error Responses¶

400 - Invalid VAT number format:

{
  "error": "Invalid VAT number format. Expected format: Two-letter country code followed by 8-12 digits or letters."
}

400 - UK (GB) VAT number rejected (Brexit):

{
  "error": "As of 01/01/2021, the VoW service to validate UK (GB) VAT numbers ceased to exist while a new service to validate VAT numbers of businesses operating under the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland appeared. These VAT numbers are starting with the \"XI\" prefix."
}

400 - VIES service fault:

{
  "error": "{ MS_UNAVAILABLE | INVALID_INPUT | SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE | ... }"
}

Supported Countries¶

All EU member states are supported, plus Northern Ireland using the XI prefix.

UK VAT Numbers

UK (GB) VAT numbers are no longer supported since Brexit (01/01/2021). Use the XI prefix for Northern Ireland businesses.

Country Prefixes¶

Prefix	Country	Prefix	Country
AT	Austria	IE	Ireland
BE	Belgium	IT	Italy
BG	Bulgaria	LT	Lithuania
CY	Cyprus	LU	Luxembourg
CZ	Czech Republic	LV	Latvia
DE	Germany	MT	Malta
DK	Denmark	NL	Netherlands
EE	Estonia	PL	Poland
EL	Greece	PT	Portugal
ES	Spain	RO	Romania
FI	Finland	SE	Sweden
FR	France	SI	Slovenia
HR	Croatia	SK	Slovakia
HU	Hungary	XI	Northern Ireland