EU VAT Number Validator - Bulk VIES Check

For finance, procurement, compliance and e-commerce teams that need a reliable EU VAT number check. Paste a list of VAT numbers in any common format and get one clean row per number from VIES, the European Commission's official VAT Information Exchange System: valid or invalid, the registered name and address as VIES returns them, and, if you give your own VAT number, the consultation number that proves the check. A VAT validation API you can run in bulk from the Console, a schedule, code or an AI agent.

$0.003 per number that gets a definitive valid or invalid answer. Malformed numbers and member-state downtime are free. 1,000 numbers = $3.

It calls the free, public VIES REST service directly: no scraping, no login, no proxy, no API key. It is deliberately gentle with the service (one request per second, backoff when a member state is busy) and charges only when VIES gives a real answer.

What you get

Field	Meaning
input	The number exactly as you gave it.
index	Position in your input (rows are not in input order; sort by this).
countryCode, vatNumber	Normalised parts, e.g. DE and 123456789. Greece is EL, Northern Ireland XI.
valid	true, false, or null when there was no answer.
status	valid, invalid (both charged) or malformed, member-state-unavailable, error, not-processed (all free).
name, address	Registered name and address as returned by VIES. Some member states return --- instead.
requestDate	When VIES answered.
consultationNumber	VIES request identifier, only when you set requesterVatNumber.
retryable, message	Whether trying again later may help, and why a row has no answer.

Quick start

{
  "vatNumbers": ["DE811128135", "FR40303265045"],
  "maxItems": 5
}

Accepted formats: DE123456789, de 123 456 789, DE-123.456.789, ATU12345678, EL123456789 (Greece; GR is accepted and converted), XI123456789 (Northern Ireland), VAT DE123456789. Every number is checked against its country's format first, for all 27 EU member states plus XI, so a typo costs nothing and never reaches VIES.

Recipes

Validate supplier VAT numbers before invoicing. Export the VAT numbers from your supplier master data or purchase orders and check them in one run. Stop payment on anything invalid, and compare name and address with your records where the member state returns them:

{
  "vatNumbers": ["DE811128135", "FR40303265045", "NL123456789B01", "ATU12345678"],
  "requesterVatNumber": "DE123456789",
  "maxItems": 500
}

With requesterVatNumber (your own VAT number) VIES issues a consultation number per check. Keep it with the invoice file as evidence that you checked.

Check VAT IDs found by the Impressum scraper. Impressum Scraper reads the legal notice of German, Austrian and Swiss company websites and outputs a vatId. Chain its dataset straight in, without exporting anything:

{
  "datasetId": "<DEFAULT_DATASET_ID_OF_THE_IMPRESSUM_RUN>",
  "vatField": "vatId",
  "maxItems": 1000
}

Items without a VAT ID are skipped. Or pass the items yourself as rows: [{"domain": "example.com", "vatId": "DE123456789"}]. Join the result back to your list on input.

Re-check on a schedule. Save your input as a Task and schedule it monthly. Rows with retryable: true are the numbers to run again.

Input

Field	Default	What it does
vatNumbers	none	VAT numbers with country prefix. Max 10,000 per run in total.
rows	none	Objects with a VAT field, merged with vatNumbers.
datasetId	none	An Apify dataset whose items have a VAT field (up to 10,000 items are read).
vatField	auto	Field name holding the number. Empty tries vatId, vatNumber, vat, vat_id, vatNo, ustId, taxId.
requesterVatNumber	none	Your own VAT number, to get consultation numbers. Not output, not logged.
maxItems	100	Hard cap on charged checks, 1 to 10,000.
delaySeconds	1	Seconds between VIES requests, 1 to 10. It can be raised, never lowered.

Each distinct number is checked once; duplicates are skipped.

Example output

{
  "input": "de 123 456 789",
  "index": 1,
  "countryCode": "DE",
  "vatNumber": "123456789",
  "valid": true,
  "status": "valid",
  "name": "BEISPIEL HANDELS GMBH",
  "address": "MUSTERSTRASSE 1\n10115 BERLIN",
  "requestDate": "2026-10-11T10:15:30.123Z",
  "consultationNumber": null,
  "retryable": false,
  "message": null,
  "scrapedAt": "2026-10-11T10:15:00.000Z"
}

A malformed number is reported in the same shape, free and never sent to VIES:

{
  "input": "DE12",
  "index": 2,
  "countryCode": "DE",
  "vatNumber": "12",
  "valid": null,
  "status": "malformed",
  "name": null,
  "address": null,
  "requestDate": null,
  "consultationNumber": null,
  "retryable": false,
  "message": "The number does not match the DE VAT number format. Not sent to VIES. Not charged.",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-10-11T10:15:00.000Z"
}

The sample is illustrative (an invented company), shaped like the VIES response. Status meanings:

• valid / invalid: VIES gave a definitive answer. Charged.
• malformed: the number failed the format check, or VIES rejected the input. Free.
• member-state-unavailable: the member state's own VAT system was down, busy or timed out, after several retries. Free and retryable. If a country fails three times in a row, its remaining numbers in that run are skipped (also free) so the run does not keep hammering it.
• error: VIES itself was busy or unreachable, or answered unexpectedly. Free.
• not-processed: not checked because maxItems, your spending limit or the run time budget was reached. Free; run those numbers again.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

This Actor works as a tool for Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and other MCP clients through Apify's MCP server. Every input property description is short and carries an example, so agents fill it in correctly. None is required, but give it vatNumbers, rows or a datasetId.

Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json), with your own token from Apify Console > Settings > API & Integrations:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify-eu-vat-number-validator": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y", "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=lukehunter/eu-vat-number-validator",
        "--header", "Authorization: Bearer ${APIFY_TOKEN}"
      ],
      "env": { "APIFY_TOKEN": "<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>" }
    }
  }
}

Clients that support OAuth (Claude.ai, VS Code) can connect with just the URL https://mcp.apify.com?tools=lukehunter/eu-vat-number-validator and sign in to Apify. Never paste a real token into a shared file or chat.

Example. You ask: "Is this supplier's VAT number FR40303265045 valid, and what name is it registered under?" The agent calls lukehunter--eu-vat-number-validator with:

{
  "vatNumbers": ["FR40303265045"],
  "maxItems": 1
}

It is charged $0.003 for the one definitive answer, capped by maxItems.

Pricing

Pay-per-event: $0.003 per check (event check), meaning one number that got a definitive valid or invalid answer from VIES. Malformed numbers, member-state downtime, errors and not-processed rows are free.

Numbers checked	Cost
5	$0.015
100 (default cap)	$0.30
1,000	$3.00
10,000 (maximum)	$30.00

For comparison, other VAT checkers on the Apify Store were listed in October 2026 at between $0.003 and $0.04 per number, some bundled into larger company-enrichment Actors. maxItems and your Apify per-run spending limit both stop delivery before the cap is passed: a result is delivered and charged together, and never past your limit. Price changes follow Apify's notice rules; the Pricing tab always shows the rate you are charged.

Limitations

• It is the official VIES service, and its availability depends on member-state systems. VIES forwards each query to the tax administration of the country that issued the number. Those systems have maintenance windows and busy periods. The Actor retries with backoff and then reports member-state-unavailable for free; it cannot make a down system answer.
• Name and address vary by country. Some member states (Germany and Spain, for example) return --- instead of the name and address. They are passed through exactly as VIES returns them.
• Speed. One request per second by default, so 1,000 numbers take about 17 minutes. This keeps the load on a shared public service low. The delay can be raised but not lowered, and a run stops after 5 hours.
• VIES confirms registration, not trustworthiness. A valid result means the number is registered for VAT intra-EU trade in that country at the time of the check. Format checks are syntax only. Northern Ireland (XI) numbers are checked for goods only. UK (GB) numbers are not in VIES.
• Business data and personal data. VIES publishes registered names and addresses, which for sole traders can identify a person. The Actor outputs only what VIES returns, and your own VAT number (if given) is neither logged nor output. Handle the data in line with the GDPR.
• Not legal or tax advice. This Actor is independent and not affiliated with the European Commission. Whether a transaction qualifies for a VAT exemption is for you and your adviser to decide; keep the VIES consultation number or your own records where the law requires proof.

Use it from your code, Make, Zapier or n8n

Built for automated pipelines: small runs, stable field names, one row per item, and you pay only for rows actually delivered.

One API call that runs the Actor and returns the data (replace $APIFY_TOKEN with your token from Apify Console → Settings → Integrations):

curl -s -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/lukehunter~eu-vat-number-validator/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"vatNumbers": ["DE811128135", "FR40303265045"], "maxItems": 5}'

JavaScript (npm i apify-client):

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';
const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('lukehunter~eu-vat-number-validator').call({
  "vatNumbers": [
    "DE811128135",
    "FR40303265045"
  ],
  "maxItems": 5
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();

Python (pip install apify-client):

import os
from apify_client import ApifyClient
client = ApifyClient(os.environ['APIFY_TOKEN'])
run = client.actor('lukehunter~eu-vat-number-validator').call(run_input={"vatNumbers": ["DE811128135", "FR40303265045"], "maxItems": 5})
items = client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).list_items().items

Schedules, webhooks and no-code tools: save your input as a Task, add a Schedule (e.g. hourly or daily), and attach a webhook or one of the Integrations tab's connectors (Make, Zapier, n8n, Google Sheets, Slack) to push each run's results into your own system.

Feedback: an honest rating on the Store page, good or bad, helps others decide if this Actor fits their needs. Missing a field or found a problem? Open an issue on the Actor page.

FAQ

Is this the official VIES service? It calls the official VIES REST API of the European Commission (ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies). The Actor adds bulk handling, format checks, retries and billing only for real answers.

Why was my number charged although it is invalid? invalid is a definitive answer from VIES (the number is not registered), which is what you asked for. Numbers that fail the format check are malformed and free.

What is a consultation number? A reference VIES issues when you identify yourself with your own VAT number. Businesses keep it as proof they checked a customer's number. Set requesterVatNumber to get one per check.

A member state is unavailable. What now? Rows come back as member-state-unavailable with retryable: true, free. Run those numbers again later, often an hour is enough.

Does it validate the check digit? No. Only the country-specific format is checked offline; whether the number is registered is VIES's answer.

Can I check UK numbers? Not in VIES after Brexit, except Northern Ireland goods numbers with the XI prefix.

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