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What Is a VAT ID (VAT Identification Number)?
A VAT ID is the number a tax authority gives a business when it registers for value-added tax, and it identifies that business for VAT everywhere it trades. In the EU it is written as a two-letter country prefix followed by a country-specific string — DE123456789, for example — and it shows up on invoices and in cross-border B2B transactions.
This guide covers what a VAT ID actually is, what it is used for, how it is structured, and how to confirm one is real. The scope here is the EU-27 plus XI (Northern Ireland), which is the area VIES covers.
If you just want to confirm a number right now, you can jump to checking whether a VAT ID is valid. Otherwise, start from the top.
