# VAT Validation API - EU VIES + Norway + Switzerland (`martin10291/eu-vat-number-validation`) Actor

No API key, no login. Validate up to 100 VAT numbers per call on official registers: EU VIES (27 countries + XI), Norway and Switzerland. Name, address, VIES consultation number for audits. A register outage says unavailable, never a false invalid.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/martin10291/eu-vat-number-validation.md
- **Developed by:** [Martin Petrov](https://apify.com/martin10291) (community)
- **Categories:** Agents, Developer tools, Automation
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.70 / 1,000 results

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

## VAT Validation API - EU VIES + Norway + Switzerland

**Problem:** you sell B2B in Europe and must check your customer's VAT number before you invoice without VAT (reverse charge). The VIES website checks one number at a time, member-state databases go down often, and many VAT APIs then answer "invalid" for a valid number.

**This API:** up to 100 VAT numbers per call, answered from the official registers in about 0.3-0.5 s per batch:

- **EU VIES** (European Commission): 27 EU countries + XI (Northern Ireland)
- **Norway**: Bronnoysund Register Centre (company in the MVA register)
- **Switzerland**: Federal UID register (CHE... MWST/TVA/IVA)

For each number: `status` (valid / invalid / unavailable / invalid_format), company `name`, `address`, `source`, `checked_at`, and with your own VAT number the official **VIES consultation number** (`consultation_number`), which you keep as proof of the check for a tax audit.

### Why it is different

- **An outage is never a false "invalid".** If a country's database is down, we retry 3 times; if it is still down, the row says `unavailable` with the reason. You never block a good customer because of a VIES outage.
- **Wrong format = instant answer** (checked locally, no upstream call).
- **3 registers in one call**: EU + Norway + Switzerland. Any input style: `DE 811 569 869`, `de811569869`, `GR...` (mapped to EL), `CHE-116.281.710 MWST`, `NO 923 609 016 MVA`.
- **Supplier monitoring:** `onlyNew: true` + `monitorId` returns only numbers whose status, name or address changed since the last run. Schedule it daily.
- Official public data only, no scraping, no personal data.

### Example (API)

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/martin10291~eu-vat-number-validation/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"vatNumbers": ["IE6388047V", "DE811569869", "NO923609016MVA", "CHE-116.281.710 MWST"], "requesterVatNumber": ""}'
```

Output row:

```json
{"input": "IE6388047V", "country_code": "IE", "country": "Ireland", "full_vat_number": "IE6388047V",
 "status": "valid", "valid": true, "name": "GOOGLE IRELAND LIMITED",
 "address": "3RD FLOOR, GORDON HOUSE, BARROW STREET, DUBLIN 4", "consultation_number": null,
 "source": "EU VIES (European Commission)", "checked_at": "2026-11-11T16:05:13Z", "response_ms": 280}
```

### Use from AI agents (MCP)

Add the Apify MCP server (`https://mcp.apify.com?tools=martin10291/eu-vat-number-validation`) to Claude, Cursor or any MCP client and ask: "Check these VAT numbers before I invoice: ...".

### Input

| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| `vatNumbers` | VAT numbers with country prefix, up to 100 |
| `defaultCountry` | Country for numbers without a prefix (optional) |
| `requesterVatNumber` | Your own EU VAT number: returns the VIES consultation number |
| `onlyNew` / `monitorId` | Return only changes since the last run (supplier monitoring) |

### FAQ

**Germany shows no name?** German authorities do not share name/address through VIES; the number itself is still verified (see `note`). Some other countries do the same.
**UK numbers?** HMRC's API needs an OAuth application, so GB numbers are not covered; Northern Ireland (XI) is covered through VIES.
**Pricing?** $1 per 1,000 result rows (one row per VAT number).
**Limits?** The Swiss register allows about 20 checks per minute; VIES limits parallel requests per country, so we keep 6 in flight.

# Actor input Schema

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

VAT numbers with country prefix, up to 100 per run. Spaces, dots and dashes are fine. EU: DE811569869, IE6388047V, EL... for Greece, XI for Northern Ireland. Norway: NO923609016MVA. Switzerland: CHE-116.281.710 MWST.

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

Optional 2-letter country code used for numbers given without a prefix, e.g. DE. Leave empty if every number has its prefix.

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

Optional. Your company's EU VAT number with prefix. VIES then returns an official consultation number per check, which you can keep as proof for a tax audit (EU numbers only).

## `onlyNew` (type: `boolean`):

Return only numbers whose status, name or address changed since the last run with the same Monitor ID (the first run returns all). Use it on a schedule to watch your suppliers or customers.

## `monitorId` (type: `string`):

Name of the watch list for Only changes mode, e.g. suppliers-de. Each Monitor ID keeps its own memory.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "vatNumbers": [
    "IE6388047V",
    "DE811569869",
    "NO923609016MVA",
    "CHE-116.281.710 MWST"
  ],
  "defaultCountry": "",
  "requesterVatNumber": "",
  "onlyNew": false,
  "monitorId": "default"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

One row per VAT number: status (valid, invalid, unavailable, invalid_format), company name, address, consultation number, source register and response time.

# 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": [
        "IE6388047V",
        "DE811569869",
        "NO923609016MVA",
        "CHE-116.281.710 MWST"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("martin10291/eu-vat-number-validation").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": [
        "IE6388047V",
        "DE811569869",
        "NO923609016MVA",
        "CHE-116.281.710 MWST",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("martin10291/eu-vat-number-validation").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": [
    "IE6388047V",
    "DE811569869",
    "NO923609016MVA",
    "CHE-116.281.710 MWST"
  ]
}' |
apify call martin10291/eu-vat-number-validation --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,martin10291/eu-vat-number-validation"
        }
    }
}
```

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/NmIoAJIeDDRmwBuCl/builds/uaPnI9UZPCQPueKiC/openapi.json