# EU VAT Number Validator (VIES): Valid or Invalid Check (`lepidata/vies-vat`) Actor

Check EU VAT numbers against the European Commission's VIES service: valid or invalid, country and check date. No names or addresses returned.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/lepidata/vies-vat.md
- **Developed by:** [Lepi Data](https://apify.com/lepidata) (community)
- **Categories:** E-commerce, Developer tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.40 / 1,000 vat checks

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

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

## 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 Validator (VIES): Valid or Invalid Check

**What it does.** Checks a list of EU VAT numbers against the European Commission's VIES service and returns, for each, whether it is valid, its country and the date VIES checked it. Useful for invoicing, checkout and B2B onboarding checks.

**Input** (from `.actor/input_schema.json`)

- `vatNumbers`: up to 200 per run, with country prefix (e.g. `DE123456789`)
- `defaultCountry`: optional, for numbers without a prefix

**Output fields**
`vatNumber`, `countryCode`, `valid`, `status` (VALID / INVALID; a registered, active number returns VALID), `checkedAt`, `source`
Free status rows (not charged): `invalid-input` (also per badly formatted number), `api-error` (e.g. a member-state service is offline), `no-results`, `free-plan-limit`, `charge-limit-reached`.

**Example** (the build's prefill)
Input: `{"vatNumbers":["DE123456789","FR00000000000"]}`

**Data source and compliance**

- Source: VIES (VAT Information Exchange System), European Commission, via its public REST API. This is an independent Lepi Data tool, **not affiliated with or endorsed by the European Commission**. No EU logos are used.
- **Validity only.** Trader names and addresses are never returned, even when VIES provides them.
- VIES limits request rates and member-state services go offline at times: checks run one at a time, about 2 seconds apart, at most 200 per run, with back-off. If a country is unavailable you get a free `api-error` row; try again later.
- A VIES result is not legal or tax advice; keep VIES's own confirmation where your rules require it.
- Free-plan accounts get up to 100 results per run.

**Pricing.** Pay per check (valid or invalid), flat on every plan, no start fee. Free status rows are never charged.

# Actor input Schema

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

EU VAT numbers with country prefix, one per line (up to 200), e.g. DE123456789. Spaces, dots and dashes are ignored. GR is read as EL; XI = Northern Ireland.

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

Optional 2-letter VIES country code (e.g. DE) used for numbers given without a country prefix.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "vatNumbers": [
    "DE123456789",
    "FR00000000000"
  ]
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `items` (type: `string`):

All rows from this run.

# 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": [
        "DE123456789",
        "FR00000000000"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("lepidata/vies-vat").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": [
        "DE123456789",
        "FR00000000000",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("lepidata/vies-vat").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": [
    "DE123456789",
    "FR00000000000"
  ]
}' |
apify call lepidata/vies-vat --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/lKBUTtWfSEsuH2vC7/builds/GP24RtY3cJ1DGvCqF/openapi.json