Bulk VAT number check: validate a list of EU VAT numbers against VIES

You have a supplier file, a customer export or an invoice backlog with a few hundred VAT numbers, and you need to know which ones are valid. The official tool, VIES (the European Commission’s VAT Information Exchange System), answers one number at a time on a web form. For a long list that means hours of copy and paste, and no proof of what you checked unless you save each answer yourself.

This guide lists the realistic ways to check VAT numbers in bulk, says what each is good for, and shows where the VAT Validator (VIES) fits. It is an unofficial tool that runs on Apify and queries the same VIES service as the Commission’s own page.

The options for a bulk VAT check

• The VIES web form on the European Commission site. Free and authoritative, one number per query. Fine for ten numbers, painful beyond that.
• Free batch checkers. Several websites let you paste a list and download Excel or PDF. For example, vatapp.net describes free batch validation for EU, Norway, Switzerland and Thailand, and Marosa VAT describes a limit of 100 numbers per check and 4,000 per day (both as shown in their search listings on 9 November 2026). Good for an occasional list; check the limits against your volume.
• Paid APIs and enterprise tools. Vatstack, VIES API (viesapi.eu), Fonoa and others sell API access or large batches, usually on a subscription. Worth it if VAT checks are a core part of your product.
• An Apify Actor you run when you need it. You pay per number checked, with no subscription, and you can call it from a script, a spreadsheet automation or a scheduler. That is what the VAT Validator does.

What the VAT Validator returns

For each number you get: whether the syntax is valid, whether VIES says the number is valid, the registered company name and address when the member state publishes them, the check date and, if you give your own VAT number as requester, the official consultation number. That number is the proof tax authorities look for when you zero-rate an intra-EU invoice. Numbers with a wrong syntax and member-state outages are not charged. The Actor also checks EORI numbers and can run on a schedule to tell you when a partner’s number turns invalid.

A real record

From the example file of the Actor, checked on 1 October 2026 (one number, as returned):

{
  "type": "vat",
  "input": "IE 6388047V",
  "countryCode": "IE",
  "vatNumber": "6388047V",
  "vatNumberFormatted": "IE6388047V",
  "syntaxValid": true,
  "valid": true,
  "companyName": "GOOGLE IRELAND LIMITED",
  "companyAddress": "3RD FLOOR, GORDON HOUSE, BARROW STREET, DUBLIN 4",
  "consultationNumber": "WAPIAAAAaD5Jk8-i",
  "memberStateUnavailable": false,
  "checkedAt": "2026-10-01T20:27:12.735Z"
}

How to check a list in three steps

1. Open the VAT Validator on Apify and paste your numbers, with or without spaces. Each one starts with its country prefix (FR, DE, IE, PL…).
2. Optionally add your own VAT number as requester to get a consultation number for every valid answer.
3. Run it, then download the results as CSV, Excel or JSON, or read them through the API.

The input looks like this:

{
  "vatNumbers": ["FR40303265045", "IE6388047V", "PL5260250995"],
  "requesterVatNumber": "FR40303265045"
}

The example page has the full input and output files. If you work with French companies, the French company data API guide shows how to get the VAT number from a SIREN, and the English-language overview of all our data robots explains how to call them from an AI assistant.

Pricing

$0.002 per VAT number checked (EORI numbers the same), plus $0.003 per run start. A list of 1,000 numbers costs about $2.00. Syntax errors, member-state outages and the summary row are free. No subscription, and Apify gives new accounts free monthly credit to try it.

FAQ

Is this the official VIES data? Yes. The Actor queries the VIES service of the European Commission. The answer is only as good as what each member state publishes: some countries return the company name and address, others only valid or invalid.

How many numbers can I check at once? You set the list size yourself in the input. Large lists run longer because each member state answers at its own pace; numbers that hit an outage are not charged and can be retried.

Do I get proof for my accountant or an audit? Yes, if you give your own VAT number as requester: VIES then returns a consultation number for each valid answer, saved in the output next to the check date.

Can I be told when a supplier’s VAT number stops being valid? Yes. Schedule the Actor with a monitor name and it reports the numbers whose status changed since the last run, with alerts on Telegram, Slack, Discord or a webhook.

Does it work for UK numbers? VIES covers EU member states and Northern Ireland. UK (Great Britain) numbers are not part of it.

Data source: VIES, European Commission. Not affiliated with the European Commission or any tax authority.