# VIES VAT Validator: Check EU VAT Numbers (Bulk) (`dltik/vies-vat-validator`) Actor

Validate EU VAT numbers in bulk via the official VIES API. Get valid/invalid, registered company name & address, and an official consultation number (proof). No API key. $0.005/check.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/dltik/vies-vat-validator.md
- **Developed by:** [Walid](https://apify.com/dltik) (community)
- **Categories:**
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$5.00 / 1,000 vat number validateds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

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

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## 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.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## VIES VAT Validator: Check EU VAT Numbers in Bulk

**⭐ Bookmark this actor** — the Apify Store ranks actors by bookmarks, so it's the single strongest signal to keep this VIES VAT Validator visible and maintained.

Validate **EU VAT numbers** at scale against the official **VIES** service (the EU Commission's VAT Information Exchange System). For every number you get a clean JSON record: valid / invalid, the registered **company name and address** (where the member state discloses them), and — optionally — the **official consultation number** that proves you checked a counterparty on a given date. No API key, no login.

### What this VIES VAT Validator does

Manually checking VAT numbers on the VIES website is one-at-a-time and can't be automated cleanly. This actor turns it into a bulk API:

- **Bulk validation** — pass a list of VAT numbers and get one structured result each.
- **Company name & address** — VIES returns the registered trader details for most member states.
- **Official consultation number** — set your own VAT number as the requester and VIES issues a `requestIdentifier` per check: legal proof of validation for your VAT records / reverse-charge invoices.
- **Robust** — country-code normalization (Greece `EL`/`GR`, Northern Ireland `XI`), whitespace/format cleanup, retries and per-number error surfacing (e.g. `MS_UNAVAILABLE`) so one flaky member-state service never fails the whole run.

### Who uses it

- **Finance & accounting teams** validating supplier/customer VAT before reverse-charge invoicing.
- **E-commerce & SaaS** verifying B2B customers at checkout (VAT-exempt intra-EU sales).
- **Compliance & onboarding (KYB)** checks on EU counterparties.
- **Data teams** cleaning and enriching B2B contact lists with valid VAT + company name.

### Input

```json
{
  "vatNumbers": ["DE811569869", "FR40303265045", "IT00743110157"],
  "requesterVatNumber": "FR40303265045"
}
```

| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `vatNumbers` | array | EU VAT numbers with country prefix. Spaces/dots/dashes ignored. |
| `requesterVatNumber` | string | Optional — your VAT number; returns the official consultation number per check. |
| `concurrency` | int | Parallel VIES requests, 1–8 (default 4). |
| `proxyConfig` | object | Optional Apify proxy. |

### Output

```json
{
  "input": "DE811569869",
  "country_code": "DE",
  "vat_number": "811569869",
  "valid": true,
  "name": "GOOGLE GERMANY GMBH",
  "address": "ABC-STRASSE 19, 20354 HAMBURG",
  "consultation_number": "WAPIAAAAX...",
  "error": null
}
```

`valid` is `true`/`false` for a definitive answer, or `null` with an `error` code when the member-state service was temporarily unavailable.

### Pricing

| Event | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| `vat-validated` | **$0.005** | One VAT number checked against VIES: validity, company name & address, and the official consultation number when a requester is provided. |

### FAQ

**Do I need an API key?** No. This uses the free official EU Commission VIES REST API.

**Why is name/address sometimes blank?** A few member states (e.g. Germany, Spain) return only the valid/invalid flag and do not disclose the trader name/address over VIES. The `valid` field is still authoritative.

**What is the consultation number for?** When you supply your own VAT as `requesterVatNumber`, VIES issues a unique identifier proving you validated the counterparty on that date — useful evidence for VAT audits and reverse-charge invoices.

**Does it cover non-EU VAT (UK, CH)?** VIES covers EU member states plus Northern Ireland (`XI`). Great Britain (GB) left VIES after Brexit and is not covered.

**What if VIES is down for one country?** That number gets `valid: null` and an `error` like `MS_UNAVAILABLE`; the rest of your batch still completes. Re-run the failed ones later.

# Actor input Schema

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

EU VAT numbers to validate, each WITH its country prefix. Examples: 'DE811569869', 'FR40303265045', 'IT00743110157', 'IE6388047V'. Spaces, dots and dashes are ignored. Greece may be written as EL or GR; Northern Ireland as XI.

## `requesterVatNumber` (type: `string`):

Optional. Your own EU VAT number (with country prefix, e.g. 'FR40303265045'). When set, VIES returns an official consultation number (requestIdentifier) for each check — legal proof that you validated the counterparty on that date. Leave empty for a plain validity check.

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

Number of parallel VIES requests (1-8). VIES is a shared public service — the default 4 stays polite and reliable.

## `proxyConfig` (type: `object`):

Optional Apify proxy. VIES is a free government API and usually works without a proxy; enable it only if you validate at very high volume.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "vatNumbers": [],
  "concurrency": 4,
  "proxyConfig": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

One record per VAT number checked.

# 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 = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("dltik/vies-vat-validator").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 = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("dltik/vies-vat-validator").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 '{}' |
apify call dltik/vies-vat-validator --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

```

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/KYb4PuTGBxzUdg0D4/builds/kDUfHbHParqdnzwGm/openapi.json