Free tool
VAT ID check
Check an EU VAT identification number: first the format, then validity in VIES from the European Commission, no account and no install.
Why check a VAT ID?
For intra-community supplies you need a valid VAT ID of the recipient. A format check is not enough: the number must be active in the member state’s register.
This tool checks the format (including the German check digit) and then queries official VIES. The result shows whether the number is currently reported as valid. Name and address only if the member state returns them.
In Jupiter ERP you store VAT IDs on contacts and documents. If you want to run invoicing and master data day to day, not just look numbers up, start free in the app.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this an official check?
- Validity comes from VIES, the European Commission’s official interface to member-state registers. It is a simple confirmation, not a qualified confirmation from the German Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt), and not tax advice.
- Which countries are supported?
- All EU member states via VIES, plus Northern Ireland (XI). UK numbers with the GB prefix left VIES after Brexit; use HMRC for those. Swiss UID numbers are not part of VIES.
- Is the number stored?
- The VAT ID is sent to VIES for the lookup. No account is required. We may cache the result briefly to avoid unnecessary load on the register. No user account is created.
- Why are name and address missing?
- Not every member state returns a company name and address through VIES. Germany often answers with valid or invalid only. An empty name field does not mean the check failed.
- How is this different from a BZSt confirmation?
- German rules on good-faith protection for VAT-exempt intra-community supplies often require a qualified confirmation from the BZSt, using your own German VAT ID and the recipient’s master data. This website tool only performs the simple VIES check.