VAT Validate
← VAT countries
International supplier lists

Choose the check by VAT registration, not supplier location

A list with EU and non-EU suppliers needs more than one checking route. Start with the full identifier supplied by the business, then keep coverage separate from the result.

Before running a list

Three routes, three different records

  1. EU VAT ID supplied

    Use its registration country and complete VAT number for a VIES check. A supplier based outside the EU may supply an EU VAT registration; its postal address alone does not decide coverage.

    Read the VIES checking steps →

  2. GB or XI supplied

    Route a GB VAT number to HMRC’s UK checker. XI is the Northern Ireland prefix used for the goods trade covered by HMRC guidance, and can be checked through VIES. Do not change GB to XI yourself.

    Compare GB and XI routes →

  3. No VAT ID within VIES coverage

    Ask for the relevant registration and its issuing authority. Keep a local tax ID, company number or missing VAT ID outside the VIES queue until it is identified. Record “outside VIES coverage” or “identifier needed”, rather than a VIES invalid result.

Trade context / EU and selected world partners

Mixed supplier lists have an international context

Eurostat reports that China supplied 22.3% and the United States 14.1% of the value of EU goods imports from outside the EU in 2025. These shares describe trade flows; they do not tell you which tax identifier an individual supplier holds.

Share of extra-EU goods-import value, 2025 (%)
China22.3%
United States14.1%

Same 0–100% scale for both rows. Selected partners only, not an exhaustive world dataset. Denominator: all extra-EU goods imports by value, EU as one trading bloc. Not supplier counts, invoice counts, VAT rates or demand for this service.

Source: Eurostat / COMEXT, International trade in goods, main partners section and Figure 7 (ext_lt_maineu). Period: 2025; source extraction: March 2026; consulted 2 November 2026. Figures may be revised by Eurostat.

A location is not a checking result

Fictional workflow / no taxpayer checked

A supplier’s record says “United States”, but its invoice also supplies an NL VAT ID. Keep the US address as location data and identify the NL registration separately. Use the full supplied NL VAT ID for VIES; do not label it outside coverage just because the supplier is US-based.

If the same record contains only a US tax ID, do not convert it into an NL number. Ask which registration applies and preserve the original identifier.

Keep coverage separate from the outcome

  • Before a check: keep the original identifier, issuing country, supplier record and chosen checking source.
  • After a response: keep its date, exact result and any returned identity details. Compare those details with your record.
  • If the service does not reply: keep the attempt unresolved. A timeout is neither an invalid registration nor a country outside coverage.

This is a way to organise checks. It does not decide VAT liability, reverse charge or the treatment of an invoice.

Find the supplied VAT registration country →

Official checking references

Checking guidance consulted 2 November 2026. Statistical context and registration guidance are separate sources.