Northern Ireland VAT number check
Check a Northern Ireland VAT number against VIES and confirm whether it is currently reported as valid for intra-EU transactions.
Expected format
A typical Northern Ireland VAT ID looks like XI123456789. You can paste the full number with the XI prefix or select Northern Ireland in the checker.
XI is used for Northern Ireland VAT under the post-Brexit rules.
What VIES can return
- Valid: the VAT number is currently confirmed for intra-EU transactions.
- Invalid: VIES did not confirm the number as valid at the time of the check.
- Unavailable: VIES or the national VAT registry did not reply.
Before relying on the result
Match the VAT result with your customer's invoice details and keep your own evidence of the check. A valid VIES response is a useful record, but it is not a substitute for your compliance workflow or advice from a tax professional.
If Northern Ireland is unavailable in VIES, retry later before treating the VAT number as invalid. Member-state registry outages can look like a failed check even when the number itself is fine.