🇪🇺EU VAT Number Validator

EU VAT validator -- check a VAT number online (format + check digit)

This free EU VAT number validator instantly checks the validity of a VAT number for all 27 European Union countries. The tool recognises the country from the 2-letter VIES prefix (e.g. DE, PL, FR, IT, ES) or lets you select the country manually if you enter the number without a prefix. Validation includes checking the format (length and character pattern) and -- for selected countries -- verifying the check digit using a deterministic algorithm.

Remember that a valid format and check digit are not equivalent to an active company registration in VIES. If you want to confirm that a counterparty actually holds a valid EU VAT number, you need to make an online query to the European Commission's VIES system. This tool is the ideal first step -- it will filter out obvious typos and errors before a more costly online query.

Full privacy -- local browser processing

Verification takes place entirely in your browser. Not a single character of the entered VAT number is transmitted to Helpje's servers or any other server. You can check your counterparties' VAT numbers even without internet access.

Frequently asked questions about the EU VAT validator

What is an EU VAT number and what is it used for?

An EU VAT number (also known as a VAT Identification Number or VATiN) is a unique tax identifier assigned to companies registered as VAT payers in European Union member states. It identifies taxpayers in intra-community transactions and is required, for example, when issuing reverse-charge invoices to counterparties in other EU countries.

What is VIES and how does it work?

VIES (VAT Information Exchange System) is a European Commission system that allows real-time verification of whether a company is an active EU VAT payer. A VIES query requires an internet connection and reaches the national database of the country that issued the number. This tool only checks the format and check digit offline -- it does not communicate with VIES.

For which countries is the check digit verified?

Full check digit verification is implemented for: Germany (DE, ISO 7064 MOD 11,10), Austria (AT), Italy (IT, Luhn mod-10), Poland (PL, NIP mod-11), France (FR, mod-97 key from SIREN), Spain (ES, letter/digit check) and Greece (GR, weighted mod-11). For other countries the tool only verifies format correctness (regex).

What does "format valid (check digit not verified)" mean?

For some countries (e.g. BE, NL, CZ, SK, SE, DK) the check digit algorithm is documented but its official specification is proprietary or difficult to confirm from authoritative sources. In such cases the tool confirms that the number matches the required length and format pattern for that country, but does not perform additional mathematical verification.

Why does Greece use the code EL instead of GR?

VIES and the EU system use the code EL for Greece (from the Greek "Ellas"), while ISO 3166 assigns GR to Greece. This tool accepts both prefixes -- EL and GR -- and treats them as equivalent.

Is my data sent to a server?

No. All VAT number verification is performed locally in your browser -- not a single character of the entered number is sent to any server. You can check numbers even without an internet connection. Verifying a company's active status in VIES requires a separate online query.