Free EU VAT Number Validator
Verify any EU VAT ID against the official VIES database in seconds. No signup, no limits.
Three checks, one tool.
Whether you're issuing a first invoice, applying reverse charge, or reclaiming input VAT, a quick VIES check protects you from the most expensive German tax surprises.
Your own VAT ID
A quick check before submitting your first invoice. New registrations can take days to appear in VIES; if you bill cross-border before yours shows up, every EU customer will reject the reverse-charge treatment.
Customer VAT IDs
Required before applying reverse charge or zero-rated B2B sales. German tax authorities expect a VIES-confirmed ID on file at the moment of invoicing, not weeks later when an audit asks.
Supplier VAT IDs
Verify before deducting input VAT. An invoice from a non-VIES-registered supplier won't survive a routine Betriebsprüfung, and the input VAT you reclaimed comes straight back out.
VAT IDs, explained for foreign sellers.
Short, plain-English answers to the questions our customers send us most.
A VAT ID is your identifier for cross-border EU trade. In Germany it's called the USt-IdNr and starts with DE followed by nine digits. It's the number that appears on invoices to other EU businesses and the one VIES validates.
A tax number (in Germany, the Steuernummer) is your domestic identifier with a local tax office. It's the number the Finanzamt uses to track your filings. Same business, different jobs: the Steuernummer is for them, the VAT ID is for everyone else.
To apply reverse charge or zero-rate a B2B intra-EU sale, you need a customer VAT ID that's currently registered in VIES. If it isn't, you must charge VAT at your local rate, treating the buyer as B2C.
Tax authorities cross-check your VIES log against your invoice ledger. An invoice issued at zero rate to a customer whose number was never valid at the time of supply is one of the most common findings in a German VAT audit.
VIES is a real-time gateway to each member state's national VAT register, so the answer depends on the country. Most update overnight; a few publish changes within hours; new German registrations typically appear within one to three business days of activation.
The check we run here returns the country's current answer at the moment you press Validate, with a timestamp you can keep as proof of due diligence.
The Steuernummer is issued by your local Finanzamt and follows a regional format, e.g. 12/345/67890. It identifies you for domestic correspondence: filings, payments, audit notices.
The USt-IdNr is issued by the Bundeszentralamt für Steuern in Saarlouis, follows the format DE plus nine digits, and is the one VIES recognises. You apply for it separately, often after your Steuernummer has been issued. Foreign sellers usually need both: one to file in Germany, one to invoice the rest of the EU.
VIES occasionally returns a "service unavailable" response when a member state's national register is offline for maintenance. When that happens, the check is inconclusive, not invalid: the number might still be perfectly valid; the gateway just couldn't reach the register to confirm.
Our recommendation is the same one tax authorities give: try again later the same day, and if it still fails, keep a screenshot of the unavailable response as evidence you attempted due diligence, then re-verify within a reasonable window.
Schätzbescheid, Mahnung, or a Finanzamt query already in hand?
If your problem is one specific letter rather than ongoing monthly filing, send the letter here for a fixed-price quote within 1-2 business days. A licensed German tax advisor reviews your case. No subscription, no charge to ask.
Vaytax handles your German VAT registration and monthly filings. In English.
A licensed German tax advisor files your monthly USt-Voranmeldung, your annual return, your ZM, and handles routine Finanzamt correspondence. One fixed price, in your language.