# EU VAT Bulk Checker (VIES) – with Deregistration Monitoring (`datvanu/vies-vat-bulk`) Actor

Bulk-validate EU VAT numbers via the official VIES API: validity, registered name and address, optional consultation number. Monitoring mode reports deregistrations, reactivations and name/address changes since the last run. Failed checks are never charged.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/datvanu/vies-vat-bulk.md
- **Developed by:** [Kilian Schieri](https://apify.com/datvanu) (community)
- **Categories:** Business, Automation, Developer tools
- **Security:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

Pay per usage

This Actor is paid per platform usage. The Actor is free to use, and you only pay for the Apify platform usage, which gets cheaper the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-usage

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## EU VAT Number Bulk Checker (VIES) – with deregistration monitoring

**Validate thousands of EU VAT numbers against the official European Commission VIES service, and get told when a supplier or customer is deregistered or changes name or address. Failed checks are never charged.**

🇬🇧 [English](#english) · 🇩🇪 [Deutsch](#deutsch)

***

### English

#### What does it do?

- **Bulk validation:** accepts any formatting (`DE 811 569 869`, `nl-854897276.b01`, `GR…` → `EL`). Duplicates are removed and every number is checked against the country format **before** VIES is called.
- **Official answer from VIES:** valid or invalid, plus the registered name and address where the member state publishes them (Germany and some others do not).
- **Consultation number:** enter your own VAT number and VIES returns an official consultation number for each check, which serves as proof for zero-rated intra-EU supplies.
- **Monitoring mode:** schedule a weekly run over your supplier or customer list and get `DEREGISTERED`, `REACTIVATED`, `NAME_CHANGED`, `ADDRESS_CHANGED` and `NEW`. Set `onlyChanges` to see (and pay for) changes only.
- **Built for real-world VIES:** member-state systems are often down (`MS_UNAVAILABLE`) or rate-limited (`MS_MAX_CONCURRENT_REQ`). The actor retries with exponential back-off, keeps a gap between calls to the same country, and limits concurrency. Numbers that still fail come back as `status: ERROR` with the error code, **are not charged**, and do not overwrite your monitoring state.

#### Who is it for?

Accounts payable and receivable teams, e-commerce sellers with EU B2B customers, tax advisers, ERP and CRM integrators, KYB and compliance teams.

#### Input example

```json
{ "vatNumbers": ["NL854897276B01", "DE 811 569 869", "FR00000000000"], "monitor": true, "onlyChanges": false, "requesterVat": "DE123456789" }
```

#### Output example

```json
{ "input": "NL854897276B01", "countryCode": "NL", "vatNumber": "854897276B01", "status": "VALID", "valid": true,
  "name": "DEM IT HOLDING B.V.", "address": "WEEGSCHAAL 00116, 3721WW BILTHOVEN", "consultationNumber": null,
  "change": "NAME_CHANGED", "previous": { "valid": true, "name": "OLD NAME B.V." }, "checkedAt": "2026-10-13T20:00:00.000Z" }
```

`status` is one of `VALID`, `INVALID`, `FORMAT_INVALID` or `ERROR`. A run summary is stored in the key-value store as `RUN_SUMMARY`.

#### How much does it cost? (pay per event)

| Event | Price |
|---|---|
| `vat-check` – per answered VIES check (valid or invalid) | **USD 0.002** |
| `apify-actor-start` – per run (Apify default) | USD 0.00005 |

1,000 VAT numbers cost about **USD 2**. Format errors, duplicates and VIES outages (`ERROR`) are **free**. In monitoring mode with `onlyChanges` you only pay for rows that are delivered. The current price is always shown on the Pricing tab.

#### FAQ

- **Is a VIES answer legal proof?** With your own `requesterVat` VIES returns a consultation number that documents the check. Keep the output. This is not tax advice.
- **Why no name for German numbers?** Germany does not publish name or address through VIES.
- **How do I monitor a list?** Turn on `monitor`, create a weekly schedule and connect an e-mail, Slack or webhook integration.

#### Notes

- VIES confirms whether a number is registered for intra-EU trade. It is not a full company register. Germany returns no name or address through VIES.
- Data source: the European Commission VIES REST API. This actor is not affiliated with the European Commission. Not legal or tax advice.

***

### Deutsch

#### Was macht der Actor?

Er prüft USt-IdNrn. in großer Menge über die offizielle VIES-Schnittstelle der EU-Kommission. Das Format wird vorab geprüft und Duplikate werden entfernt. Auf Wunsch liefert VIES mit Ihrer eigenen USt-IdNr. eine **qualifizierte Bestätigung (Konsultationsnummer)**.

Im **Überwachungsmodus**, z. B. wöchentlich per Zeitplan, meldet er **Abmeldungen, Reaktivierungen, Namens- und Adressänderungen** seit dem letzten Lauf. Mit `onlyChanges` erhalten und bezahlen Sie nur die Änderungen.

#### Robust gegen VIES-Ausfälle

Nationale Systeme sind häufig nicht verfügbar oder begrenzen die Zahl gleichzeitiger Anfragen. Der Actor wiederholt solche Abfragen mit wachsenden Pausen und drosselt die Anfragen pro Land. Was trotzdem scheitert, erscheint als `ERROR` mit Fehlercode, wird **nicht berechnet** und verändert den Überwachungsstand nicht.

#### Für wen?

Buchhaltung (Kreditoren und Debitoren), Onlinehändler mit B2B-Kunden in der EU, Steuerberatung, ERP-Integration, Compliance und KYB.

#### Hinweise

Preis: 0,002 USD je beantworteter Prüfung (1.000 Nummern ≈ 2 USD); Formatfehler und VIES-Ausfälle sind kostenlos. Deutschland liefert über VIES weder Namen noch Anschrift. Eine qualifizierte Bestätigung beim BZSt ist ein eigenes Verfahren. Dies ist keine Steuerberatung.

# Actor input Schema

## `vatNumbers` (type: `array`):

With country prefix, any formatting (e.g. "DE 811 569 869", "NL854897276B01", "GR…" is mapped to EL). Max. 10,000; duplicates are removed.

## `defaultCountry` (type: `string`):

2-letter code used when a number has no country prefix, e.g. DE.

## `monitor` (type: `boolean`):

Remember results and report changes since the last run: NEW, DEREGISTERED, REACTIVATED, NAME_CHANGED, ADDRESS_CHANGED. Ideal with a weekly schedule.

## `onlyChanges` (type: `boolean`):

In monitoring mode, output only rows whose status changed (plus errors). You only pay for delivered rows.

## `stateStoreName` (type: `string`):

Use different names for independent lists (e.g. suppliers vs. customers).

## `requesterVat` (type: `string`):

If set, VIES returns a consultation number per check – the official proof for your records (e.g. for intra-EU zero-rated supplies).

## `concurrency` (type: `integer`):

VIES limits concurrent requests per member state; 2–3 is the reliable range.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "vatNumbers": [
    "NL854897276B01",
    "DE811569869"
  ],
  "monitor": false,
  "onlyChanges": false,
  "concurrency": 3
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

All items of the default dataset (JSON). Add ?format=csv or xlsx for other formats.

## `runSummary` (type: `string`):

Counts, warnings and charged events of this run (key RUN_SUMMARY).

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "vatNumbers": [
        "NL854897276B01",
        "DE811569869"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("datvanu/vies-vat-bulk").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "vatNumbers": [
        "NL854897276B01",
        "DE811569869",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("datvanu/vies-vat-bulk").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "vatNumbers": [
    "NL854897276B01",
    "DE811569869"
  ]
}' |
apify call datvanu/vies-vat-bulk --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,datvanu/vies-vat-bulk"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/XCobWE7wMEWhsSaHb/builds/hzGsHxCswsc6dGzWb/openapi.json