VAT Number Check confirms whether an EU VAT number is live and shows the business name and address it is registered to. Use it before you invoice a new customer or pay a new supplier, so the number on the paperwork matches a real, registered business.
It checks one number per request against the official EU VAT register, covering all 27 member states plus Northern Ireland (XI prefix). It is for checking a trading partner you are about to do business with, one number at a time. It is not for building lists or checking numbers in bulk.
What you can do
- validate_vat — check one EU VAT number and get its validity, registered name and address
Who it's for
Finance and accounts teams, bookkeepers and founders who invoice or buy from businesses in other EU countries and need to confirm a VAT number before zero-rating a sale or paying a supplier.
How to use it
- Take the VAT number from the invoice, contract or website, with its two-letter country prefix (for example DE, FR or IE)
- Call validate_vat with that one number
- Compare the returned name and address with the business you are dealing with; an invalid result or a mismatch is worth querying before you pay or invoice
Getting started
Pass a number such as "IE6388047V". Numbers starting GB are not covered; Northern Ireland businesses use the XI prefix.
