VIES VAT checker
VIES is the European Commission service used to check whether an EU VAT number is currently valid for intra-EU transactions.
VIES is the European Commission service used to check whether an EU VAT number is currently valid for intra-EU transactions.
What this checker does
It sends the VAT country code and number to the VIES service and returns the current response from the national VAT database.
A valid response can include the registered name and address when the member state makes that data available.
What VIES does not guarantee
VIES is not a central company database. It queries national VAT databases at the time of the check.
The European Commission says national databases may be temporarily unavailable and that data accuracy is controlled by member states.
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Related VIES guides
- EU VAT number validationValidate EU VAT IDs and learn when VAT checks matter for cross-border trade.
- VIES consultation numberLearn what a VIES consultation number is and when it can appear.
- VIES errors explainedMS_UNAVAILABLE, MS_MAX_CONCURRENT_REQ, TIMEOUT, INVALID_INPUT and SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE — what each VIES error actually means, whether to retry, and which member states are down right now.
- VIES service unavailableWhat to do when VIES or a national VAT registry is unavailable.
- Is VIES down?Live VIES status, country by country. See which EU member-state VAT registries are answering right now, read from the European Commission's own availability table every 15 minutes.
- MS_UNAVAILABLE VIES errorMS_UNAVAILABLE means a member-state VAT registry did not answer — it does not mean the VAT number is invalid. See which EU registries are down right now and when to retry.