# Bulk EU VAT Number Validator (VIES) (`psx/vies-vat-validator`) Actor

Validate thousands of EU VAT numbers against the official EU VIES service. Format pre-check, retries on member-state outages, you are only charged for definitive valid/invalid answers.

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

## Pricing

Pay per event

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?

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

## Bulk EU VAT Number Validator (VIES)

Validate thousands of EU VAT numbers against the official European Commission VIES service. Checks the format locally first (free), then asks VIES, retries when a member-state database is down, and **only charges for definitive valid/invalid answers**.

### Features

- Accepts messy input (`de 811.128.135`, `GR`/`EL` for Greece, `XI` for Northern Ireland); 28 prefixes supported.
- Local format check per country: bad numbers return `invalid-format` instantly and are not charged.
- Outage-aware: retries `MS_UNAVAILABLE` / max-concurrency answers with backoff, then reports `status: unavailable` (not charged). Re-run those later.
- Polite: shared limiter, 2 parallel requests, 400 ms spacing by default.
- Privacy by default: only validity is returned. Trader name/address (which may be personal data for sole traders) is returned only if you set `includeTraderDetails: true`.
- Uses only the official public VIES REST endpoint with fixed host; user input only ever becomes a validated path segment (no SSRF surface).

### Input

| Field | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `vatNumbers` | required | Up to 20,000 with country prefix. |
| `includeTraderDetails` | `false` | Include name/address when disclosed. |
| `concurrency` / `delayMs` | `2` / `400` | Politeness. |

### Output

```json
{ "input": "IE6388047V", "countryCode": "IE", "vatNumber": "IE6388047V", "status": "valid", "valid": true, "requestDate": "2026-10-06T08:04:01.823Z" }
```

`status` is one of `valid`, `invalid`, `invalid-format`, `unsupported-country`, `unavailable`. This is a validity check, not legal proof; for a consultation number use the official VIES tool with your own VAT ID.

### Pricing (pay per event)

`apify-actor-start` $0.005 per run (per GB), `vat-validated` $0.0014 per definitive VIES answer.

### Develop

`npm install && npm test`; local run via `storage/key_value_stores/default/INPUT.json` + `npm start`; deploy `apify push` (private by default).

# Actor input Schema

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

EU VAT numbers with country prefix (up to 20,000). Spaces, dots and dashes are ignored. Greek numbers may use EL or GR; Northern Ireland uses XI.

## `includeTraderDetails` (type: `boolean`):

Return the registered name and address when VIES discloses them. Off by default; sole traders' names can be personal data, so enable only with a lawful basis.

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

Parallel requests to VIES (max 5).

## `delayMs` (type: `integer`):

Minimum spacing between requests to the EU service.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "vatNumbers": [
    "DE811128135",
    "FR40303265045",
    "NL000099995B57"
  ],
  "includeTraderDetails": false,
  "concurrency": 2,
  "delayMs": 400
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

No description

# 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": [
        "DE811128135",
        "FR40303265045",
        "NL000099995B57"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("psx/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 = { "vatNumbers": [
        "DE811128135",
        "FR40303265045",
        "NL000099995B57",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("psx/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 '{
  "vatNumbers": [
    "DE811128135",
    "FR40303265045",
    "NL000099995B57"
  ]
}' |
apify call psx/vies-vat-validator --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,psx/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/fXzhBMm0xA8pj9gsK/builds/bq9FDOFa7qC1wvTHF/openapi.json