VAT ID Online Checker (VIES)

Free VAT ID Checker (VIES Query)

When trading vehicles within the EU, verifying your business partner’s VAT identification number (VAT ID) is not only recommended but in many cases legally required. Our free VAT ID checker performs a real-time query via the VIES system of the European Commission and confirms the validity of the entered number.

Why VAT ID Verification Is So Important

The VAT identification number (VAT ID) identifies a company as a VAT-registered participant in intra-Community trade. Verifying this number is essential in the following situations:

Intra-Community Supplies: When you sell a vehicle to a dealer in another EU country, their VAT ID must be valid so that you can invoice the supply tax-free.
Intra-Community Acquisition: When purchasing vehicles from other EU countries, you should verify the seller’s VAT ID.
Due Diligence: The verification protects you from fraud and ensures that your business partner is actually registered as a business entity.
Liability Protection: Document the verification to prove in the event of a tax audit that you have fulfilled your due diligence obligations.

What Is VIES?

VIES stands for “VAT Information Exchange System” – the VAT information exchange system of the European Union. It is the official database of the EU Commission through which the validity of VAT identification numbers of all EU member states can be queried. Our tool accesses this system directly and delivers the result to you in real time.

Structure of a VAT ID

Every VAT ID begins with the two-letter country code of the EU member state, followed by a country-specific number:

Germany (DE): DE + 9 digits (e.g., DE123456789)
Austria (AT): ATU + 8 digits
Netherlands (NL): NL + 12 characters
France (FR): FR + 2 characters + 9 digits
Italy (IT): IT + 11 digits
Poland (PL): PL + 10 digits

Qualified vs. Simple Confirmation

There are two types of VAT ID verification:

Simple Confirmation: Only checks whether the number is valid and active. Our online tool performs this verification.
Qualified Confirmation: Additionally verifies the company’s name and address. This must be requested from the Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt) and is recommended for intra-Community supplies.

For daily use, the simple confirmation is sufficient. For higher-value transactions – such as selling vehicles to other EU countries – you should request a qualified confirmation from the BZSt and document it.

Tips for Car Dealers

Verify the VAT ID before every intra-Community transaction
Document the verification result with the date and store it in the vehicle file
Do not accept handwritten or verbal VAT IDs – always obtain the number in writing
If in doubt, request a qualified confirmation from the BZSt

Automatic VAT ID Verification with AutoPult

In daily business, you do not want to manually perform a VIES query for every transaction. AutoPult integrates VAT ID verification directly into the sales process: when creating a business customer, the VAT ID is automatically verified and the result is documented. This way, you fulfill your due diligence obligations without any additional effort.