VAT number formats

How VAT numbers are written in the 27 EU countries, Northern Ireland and the UK: prefix, structure, an example and a regular expression for each.

Country	Format	Example	Local name
Austria AT	ATU + 8 digits	ATU13585627	UID
Belgium BE	BE + 10 digits, starting with 0 or 1	BE0776091951	BTW / TVA
Bulgaria BG	BG + 9 digits (companies) or 10 digits (individuals)	BG175074752	ДДС
Croatia HR	HR + 11 digits	HR33392005961	PDV ID
Cyprus CY	CY + 8 digits + 1 letter	CY10259033P	ΦΠΑ
Czech Republic CZ	CZ + 8, 9 or 10 digits	CZ25123891	DIČ
Denmark DK	DK + 8 digits	DK13585628	CVR
Estonia EE	EE + 9 digits	EE100931558	KMKR
Finland FI	FI + 8 digits	FI20774740	ALV
France FR	FR + 2 check characters + 9-digit SIREN	FR40303265045	TVA
Germany DE	DE + 9 digits	DE136695976	USt-IdNr.
Greece EL	EL + 9 digits (the EU uses EL, not GR, for Greece)	EL094259216	ΑΦΜ
Hungary HU	HU + 8 digits	HU12892312	ANUM
Ireland IE	IE + 7 digits + 1 or 2 letters (old format: digit, letter, 5 digits, letter)	IE6433435F	VAT
Italy IT	IT + 11 digits	IT00743110157	P.IVA
Latvia LV	LV + 11 digits	LV40003521600	PVN
Lithuania LT	LT + 9 digits (companies) or 12 digits	LT119511515	PVM
Luxembourg LU	LU + 8 digits	LU26375245	No. TVA
Malta MT	MT + 8 digits	MT11679112	VAT
Netherlands NL	NL + 9 digits + B + 2 digits	NL004495445B01	btw-id
Northern Ireland XI	XI + 9 digits (same number as GB, used for trade in goods with the EU)	XI980780684	VRN
Poland PL	PL + 10 digits	PL8567346215	NIP
Portugal PT	PT + 9 digits	PT501964843	NIF
Romania RO	RO + 2 to 10 digits	RO18547290	CIF
Slovakia SK	SK + 10 digits	SK2022749619	IČ DPH
Slovenia SI	SI + 8 digits	SI50223054	ID za DDV
Spain ES	ES + 9 characters: a letter or digit, 7 digits, a letter or digit	ESA13585625	NIF
Sweden SE	SE + 10-digit organisation number + 01	SE123456789701	Momsnr.
United Kingdom GB	GB + 9 digits (12 for branches; GD/HA + 3 digits for government and health bodies)	GB980780684	VRN

Examples are checksum-valid numbers from the python-stdnum test data.

VAT checkers by country

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if a VAT number is valid?

Check the format (country prefix, length), the check digit, and the registration (VIES for EU and XI numbers). Only the registration check proves the number is active. The VAT number validator does all three.

Do VAT numbers always start with the country code?

Yes, in intra-EU trade the VAT number is written with its two-letter prefix (DE, FR, …). Greece uses EL instead of GR, and Northern Ireland uses XI for trade in goods with the EU.

Can I store VAT numbers without the prefix?

You can, but keep the country code next to it: the same digits can be a valid number in one country and invalid in another.

VAT validation API

Validate VAT numbers in your app

vatcheckapi checks the format and checksum of EU and UK VAT numbers and confirms the registration live (VIES for EU numbers), with company name and address where the country provides them.

/v2/check documentation VAT number API All documentation

150 free validations every month. No credit card required.

GET https://api.vatcheckapi.com/v2/check?vat_number=LU26375245

{
  "country_code": "LU",
  "vat_number": "26375245",
  "format_valid": true,
  "checksum_valid": true,
  "registration_info": {
    "is_registered": true,
    "name": "AMAZON EUROPE CORE S.A R.L.",
    "address": "38, AVENUE JOHN F. KENNEDY\nL-1855  LUXEMBOURG",
    "address_parts": null,
    "checked_at": "2026-10-16T09:12:44.000000Z"
  },
  "registration_info_history": []
}

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