EU VAT Number Validation Scraper (VIES): Company Name & Address

Here is one real result, with every field the actor returns (AI address extraction enabled on this run):

{
  "countryCode": "FR",
  "vatNumber": "FR40303265045",
  "vatNumberLocal": "40303265045",
  "valid": true,
  "userError": "VALID",
  "requestDate": "2026-08-14T07:37:29.373Z",
  "traderName": "SA SODIMAS",
  "traderAddress": "11 RUE AMPERE\n26600 PONT DE L ISERE",
  "approxName": null,
  "approxStreet": null,
  "approxPostalCode": null,
  "approxCity": null,
  "approxCompanyType": null,
  "requestIdentifier": null,
  "traderNameMatch": null,
  "traderStreetMatch": null,
  "traderPostalCodeMatch": null,
  "traderCityMatch": null,
  "traderCompanyTypeMatch": null,
  "aiStreet": "11 RUE AMPERE",
  "aiPostalCode": "26600",
  "aiCity": "PONT DE L ISERE",
  "aiRegion": null,
  "aiCountry": "FR",
  "aiCompanyType": "SA",
  "source": "EU VIES",
  "observedAt": "2026-08-14T07:37:29.419Z",
  "error": null
}

The most complete EU VAT validation scraper available. It validates any EU (plus Northern Ireland) VAT number against the official VIES service, returns the registered company name and address that VIES holds, can capture the official consultation number that tax authorities accept as audit proof, and optionally parses the raw address into structured fields.

📥 Input · 📤 Output · 💰 Pricing · ▶️ Examples

Table of contents

• What it does
• Quickstart
• Input reference
• Output reference
• Example output record
• Run via API and CLI
• Fetch results
• Billing and limits
• FAQ and troubleshooting

What it does

The actor checks each VAT number you pass against VIES (the EU VAT Information Exchange System), the official validation service run by the European Commission, and writes one normalized record per number to the run's dataset. For a valid number it returns the registered company name and address that VIES holds. If you supply your own VAT number, each check also returns the official consultation number (requestIdentifier), which tax authorities accept as dated proof that you verified the counterparty. Missing source values are returned as null and never invented.

Coverage spans all EU member states plus Greece (EL/GR) and Northern Ireland (XI). An optional paid AI add-on parses the raw registered-address string into structured street, postal code, city, region, country and company-type fields.

Quickstart

Open the actor, paste this into the input, and press Run. It validates five VAT numbers across different member states.

{
  "vatNumbers": ["IE6388047V", "LU26375245", "DE811193231", "ES A28015865", "FR40303265045"],
  "maxChecks": 10
}

Set requesterVatNumber to your own VAT number to also receive the official consultation number for each check. Free plans validate up to 10 numbers per run.

Input reference

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
vatNumbers	string[]	yes	(5 samples)	EU VAT numbers to validate, each with its two-letter country prefix, for example DE811193231, IE6388047V, LU26375245. Greece is EL or GR; Northern Ireland is XI.
requesterVatNumber	string	no	(empty)	Your own EU VAT number. When set, each validation also returns an official consultation number (requestIdentifier), the audit-grade proof accepted by tax authorities that you checked the counterparty on this date.
maxChecks	integer	no	10	Maximum number of VAT numbers to validate in one run. Free Apify plans are capped at 10 per run.
withAddressExtract	boolean	no	false	Paid AI add-on. Parses each valid company's raw VIES address into structured fields (aiStreet, aiPostalCode, aiCity, aiRegion, aiCountry, aiCompanyType). Billed per address parsed. Requires a paid Apify plan.

Output reference

One dataset item per VAT number checked. Types: string, boolean, or null when the source value is absent.

Field	Type	Description
countryCode	string	Two-letter country code of the VAT number.
vatNumber	string	The full VAT number as submitted.
vatNumberLocal	string	The VAT number without the country prefix.
valid	boolean	true if VIES confirms the number is currently valid, else false.
userError	string	VIES status code, for example VALID, INVALID, INVALID_INPUT.
requestDate	string	Timestamp VIES recorded for the check.
traderName	string	Registered company name held by VIES, or null when not disclosed.
traderAddress	string	Registered address string held by VIES, or null when not disclosed.
approxName	string	Name returned by an approximate (name/address) match request, else null.
approxStreet	string	Street returned by an approximate match, else null.
approxPostalCode	string	Postal code returned by an approximate match, else null.
approxCity	string	City returned by an approximate match, else null.
approxCompanyType	string	Company type returned by an approximate match, else null.
requestIdentifier	string	Official VIES consultation number. Present when requesterVatNumber is supplied, else null.
traderNameMatch	string	VIES match indicator for a submitted name, else null.
traderStreetMatch	string	VIES match indicator for a submitted street, else null.
traderPostalCodeMatch	string	VIES match indicator for a submitted postal code, else null.
traderCityMatch	string	VIES match indicator for a submitted city, else null.
traderCompanyTypeMatch	string	VIES match indicator for a submitted company type, else null.
aiStreet	string	Street parsed from the address. Present only with withAddressExtract.
aiPostalCode	string	Postal code parsed from the address. Present only with withAddressExtract.
aiCity	string	City parsed from the address. Present only with withAddressExtract.
aiRegion	string	Region parsed from the address. Present only with withAddressExtract.
aiCountry	string	Country parsed from the address. Present only with withAddressExtract.
aiCompanyType	string	Company type parsed from the name. Present only with withAddressExtract.
source	string	Always EU VIES.
observedAt	string	ISO 8601 timestamp of when the record was collected.
error	string	null on success. On a failed run, a single item with a populated error field is written instead.

Example output record

Real record from a live run (input {"vatNumbers":["IE6388047V"],"requesterVatNumber":"DE811193231"}), showing the official consultation number:

{
  "countryCode": "IE",
  "vatNumber": "IE6388047V",
  "vatNumberLocal": "6388047V",
  "valid": true,
  "userError": "VALID",
  "requestDate": "2026-07-25T13:31:58.916Z",
  "traderName": "GOOGLE IRELAND LIMITED",
  "traderAddress": "3RD FLOOR, GORDON HOUSE, BARROW STREET, DUBLIN 4",
  "requestIdentifier": "WAPIAAAAZ-Zebf2u",
  "source": "EU VIES",
  "observedAt": "2026-07-25T13:31:58.972Z",
  "error": null
}

Null fields are omitted above for brevity; the values shown are unmodified.

Run via API and CLI

Start a run and wait for it to finish, then read the dataset. Replace <TOKEN> with your Apify API token.

Run synchronously and get dataset items in one call:

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/scrapers_lat~eu-vat-vies-validation-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<TOKEN>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"vatNumbers":["DE811193231","IE6388047V"],"requesterVatNumber":"DE811193231"}'

Start a run asynchronously:

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/scrapers_lat~eu-vat-vies-validation-scraper/runs?token=<TOKEN>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"vatNumbers":["FR40303265045","LU26375245"],"maxChecks":10}'

Apify CLI:

apify call scrapers_lat/eu-vat-vies-validation-scraper \
  --input '{"vatNumbers":["ES A28015865"]}'

Fetch results

Every run writes to a dataset. Fetch items as JSON, CSV, or Excel by changing format:

# JSON
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/<DATASET_ID>/items?token=<TOKEN>&clean=true&format=json"

# CSV
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/<DATASET_ID>/items?token=<TOKEN>&clean=true&format=csv"

# Paginate large datasets
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/<DATASET_ID>/items?token=<TOKEN>&offset=1000&limit=1000"

<DATASET_ID> is returned as defaultDatasetId in the run object. Use offset and limit to page through large result sets. clean=true drops empty and internal fields.

Billing and limits

• Pay per result. You are charged per VAT number checked (result event). See the pricing tab for the current per-result price.
• AI add-on billed separately. withAddressExtract charges its own event and only when an address is parsed. It requires a paid Apify plan and is disabled for free users.
• No charge on failure. If a run errors, the actor writes a single item with a populated error field and does not charge for it. Empty runs cost nothing.
• Spend cap respected. Set maxTotalChargeUsd on the run; once reached, the actor stops emitting and charging further billable results.
• Free Apify plans are capped at 10 numbers per run. Upgrade for higher maxChecks.

FAQ and troubleshooting

A number came back valid: false. What does that mean? VIES does not currently recognise that VAT number as active. Check the country prefix and digits. Some member states also return false for numbers that are valid domestically but not enabled for intra-EU trade.

Why is traderName or traderAddress null even though the number is valid? A few member states do not disclose the name and address through VIES. The number is still confirmed valid; the identity fields are simply not returned.

How do I get audit-grade proof of a check? Set requesterVatNumber to your own VAT number. VIES then returns a consultation number in requestIdentifier, which tax authorities accept as dated proof that you verified the counterparty.

How do I check Greek or Northern Irish numbers? Use the EL (or GR) prefix for Greece and XI for Northern Ireland, for example EL094019245 or XI123456789.

Why did a check return INVALID_INPUT or a service error? VIES depends on each member state's own database, which can be temporarily unavailable. The status code is returned in userError. Re-run the affected numbers later.

Is this an official EU tool? No. This actor is independent and has no affiliation with the European Commission. It queries only the publicly available VIES service. Use it in accordance with the VIES terms of use.

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Independent tool, not affiliated with the European Commission. Queries only the publicly available VIES service. Use in accordance with the VIES terms of use.