EU VAT number checker
Each member state has its own VAT number shape, and getting it wrong invalidates an intra-community invoice. This checks the structure instantly; confirming that the number is actually assigned is VIES's job, and only VIES's.
Include the two-letter country prefix. Greece uses EL, not GR.
How the check works
- 1
The country prefix is read
Two letters identify the member state. Greece is the trap: its VAT prefix is EL, while its ISO country code is GR.
- 2
The structure is matched
Each country has a fixed shape — 9 digits for Germany, 11 for France, 11 for Italy, 9 with letters for Spain and the Netherlands.
- 3
France gets an extra check
A French number embeds its SIREN and a two-digit key derived from it, so the key can be recomputed and a typo caught.
Format is not existence
A well-formed number can belong to nobody, or to a company whose registration was cancelled last month. Only VIES, the European Commission's service, is authoritative — and it queries each national tax administration live.
For an intra-community exempt invoice, keep the proof: VIES returns a consultation number, which is what protects you in an audit if the customer's number turns out to have been invalid.
Why the check matters on an invoice
Under the reverse-charge mechanism, a B2B sale to another member state is invoiced without VAT — but only if the buyer's number is valid on the day of the sale. If it is not, the tax authority can reclaim the VAT from you, the seller.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Greece 'EL' and not 'GR'?
Historical convention. The VAT prefix comes from the pre-ISO tables where Greece was abbreviated EL (for Ellas). ISO 3166 later settled on GR for the country, but the VAT system never switched. Both appear in the wild; only EL is valid on a VAT number.
Can I check whether a VAT number really exists?
Not offline. This page checks the shape. Existence and current validity come from VIES, which relays your query to the member state's own tax database. It is free and public, but it is a network call — and the national services are sometimes unavailable.
How is a French VAT number built?
FR, then a two-character key, then the nine digits of the SIREN. The key is usually numeric and derived from the SIREN, which makes it recomputable — some older numbers carry an alphabetic key that cannot be recomputed offline.
Is a UK VAT number still an EU number?
No. Since Brexit, GB numbers are outside the VIES system, with the exception of Northern Ireland, which keeps an XI prefix for goods. A GB number on an intra-community invoice is a red flag worth checking.
The same check over API
This tool runs in your browser. To run the same check from your code, in bulk or server-side, the API answers in JSON.
Read the documentation