Verify European
business identifiers
Format guidance and official verification paths for EU VAT, EORI, LEI, and UK VAT numbers. Independent reference — no registration, no data stored.
VAT Number
Format check and official VIES verification path for all 27 EU member states.
EORI Number
Validate EORI format and open the European Commission verification page.
LEI Code
Check LEI format and look up entity records in the Global LEI Index.
UK VAT Number
Post-Brexit UK VAT format check with direct path to HMRC verification.
What EU Verifier provides
A free, independent reference that reduces input errors before you run an official verification. We guide you to official sources — we do not issue identifiers or act as an authority.
Format sanity checks
Catch wrong prefixes, missing digits, spaces, or character errors before sending your number to an official service. Each identifier type has specific structural rules validated here.
Direct links to official tools
Every tool on this site routes you to the authoritative verification source: VIES for EU VAT, the European Commission for EORI, GLEIF Search for LEI, and HMRC for UK VAT.
Compliance guidance
Understand what each identifier type means, when it is required, and how to interpret verification results. Useful for onboarding, invoicing, customs, and financial workflows.
How verification works
A consistent four-step process for any European business identifier.
Choose the identifier type
VAT for EU tax and intra-EU B2B, EORI for customs, LEI for global financial entity identification, UK VAT for post-Brexit UK entities.
Run a format check
Paste the number into the relevant tool on this site. We validate the structure against the official format spec for each country or identifier system.
Verify via the official service
Click through to the official government or registry service. Only official sources can confirm whether an identifier is actively registered.
Record evidence
For compliance and audit trails, record the date, identifier, and result. Many tax authorities expect VAT check evidence as part of invoicing records.
Which identifier do you need?
Different business contexts require different identifiers. This table helps you choose the right verification path.
Independence notice
EU Verifier is not affiliated with the European Commission, any Member State tax administration, customs authority, GLEIF, or HMRC. We do not issue or validate identifiers — only official authorities can do that.
How we check formats
We apply country-specific regular expression patterns based on published official format specifications. A passing format check indicates the number structure is plausible — it does not confirm registration or active status.
Privacy and data
Identifier numbers you enter are processed locally in your browser. We do not transmit numbers to our servers or store them. See our Privacy Policy for full details.
Official service availability
Official verification services are occasionally unavailable for maintenance. Our Status page monitors VIES, EORI, GLEIF, and HMRC availability in real time.
Why identifier accuracy matters in practice
Errors in EU business identifiers carry real consequences — from unexpected VAT liability to blocked customs clearances.
VAT liability and reverse charge
When a supplier issues an intra-EU invoice without charging VAT, they rely on the customer's valid VAT number to justify zero-rating. If the customer's number is invalid and the supplier cannot produce a VIES verification record, the supplier may become personally liable for the VAT amount — regardless of whether the transaction itself was legitimate. A timestamped VIES check at invoice time is the standard evidence expected in VAT audits across EU member states.
EORI errors and customs clearance
An incorrect EORI number on a customs declaration can cause a consignment to be held at the border until the error is corrected. In time-sensitive supply chains, even a brief delay can trigger penalty clauses in delivery contracts. EORI formats differ by issuing country — a German EORI starts with DE and 15 digits, while other member states use different structures. EU Verifier's format check catches these structural mismatches before they reach the customs system.
LEI expiry and financial reporting
Legal Entity Identifiers must be renewed annually. An expired LEI causes entities to fail the pre-trade validation checks required under MiFID II and EMIR, which can block them from entering reportable transactions. Counterparties and trading venues routinely reject transactions from entities with lapsed LEIs. Checking LEI status via GLEIF confirms both format validity and renewal status before a transaction is submitted.
The EU VAT landscape
EU VAT numbers follow country-specific formats but share a common verification infrastructure through VIES.
The European Union operates a single VAT information exchange system — VIES — but VAT numbers are issued independently by each of the 27 Member States. This creates a patchwork of formats: Germany uses a 9-digit numeric body (DE123456789), France uses two alphanumeric characters followed by 9 digits, and Greece uses the prefix EL in VIES despite GR appearing in other EU contexts. These inconsistencies are among the most common sources of input errors in cross-border finance workflows.
VIES queries the national VAT database of the issuing Member State in real time. The response reflects the live status of the number at the moment of the query — a number valid last month may return invalid today if the entity's registration has lapsed or been cancelled. If a Member State's VIES endpoint is temporarily unavailable, VIES returns an error rather than a result. EU Verifier's Status page monitors individual VIES member state availability so you can distinguish a genuinely invalid number from a temporarily unreachable endpoint.
Post-Brexit, UK VAT numbers (GB prefix, 9 or 12 digits) are no longer accessible through VIES. UK counterparties must be verified separately through HMRC's dedicated checker. Businesses that trade with both EU and UK entities need two distinct verification workflows — one via VIES, one via HMRC. EU Verifier covers both from a single reference point.