VAT identification number

A value added tax identification number or VAT identification number (VATIN) is an identifier used in many countries, including the countries of the European Union, for value added tax purposes.

In the EU, a VAT identification number can be verified online at the EU's official VIES^[1] website. It confirms that the number is currently allocated and can provide the name or other identifying details of the entity to whom the identifier has been allocated. However, many national governments will not give out VAT identification numbers due to data protection laws.

The full identifier starts with an ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code (except for Greece, which uses the ISO 639-1 language code EL for the Greek language, instead of its ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code GR) and then has between 2 and 12 characters. The identifiers are composed of numeric digits in most countries, but in some countries they may contain letters.

Foreign companies that trade with non-enterprises in the EU may have a VATIN starting with "EU" instead of a country code.^[2]

VAT numbers by countries

European Union VAT identification numbers

Country	Local name	Abbreviation	2 digit prefix	Format[3][4]
Austria	Umsatzsteuer-Identifikationsnummer	UID	AT	'ATU'+8 characters, – e.g. ATU99999999
Belgium	BTW identificatienummer / Numéro de TVA	n° TVA BTW-nr Mwst-nr	BE	'BE'+ 10 digits, the first digit following the prefix is always zero ("0") or ("1") – e.g. BE0999999999. At this time no numbers starting with "1" are issued, but this can happen any time. Note that the old numbering schema only had 9 characters, separated with dots (e.g. 999.999.999), just adding a zero in front and removing the dots makes it a valid number in the new schema.
Bulgaria	Идентификационен номер по ДДС[5] Identifikacionen nomer po DDS	ДДС номер	BG	9–10 digits – e.g. BG999999999
Croatia	PDV Id. Broj OIB	PDV-ID; OIB	HR	11 digit number (ex. HR12345678901) utilising ISO 7064, MOD 11-10
Cyprus	Αριθμός Εγγραφής Φ.Π.Α. Arithmós Engraphḗs phi. pi. a.	ΦΠΑ	CY	9 characters – e.g. CY99999999L
Czech Republic	Daňové identifikační číslo	DIČ	CZ	'CZ'+8-10 digits
Denmark	Momsregistreringsnummer or CVR nummer	CVR	DK	8 digits – e.g. DK99999999,[6] last digit is check digit[7]
Estonia	Käibemaksukohustuslase number	KMKR	EE	9 digits
Finland	Arvonlisäveronumero	ALV nro	FI	8 digits - e.g. FI99999999,[8] last digit is a check digit utilizing MOD 11-2
France	Numéro d'identification à la taxe sur la valeur ajoutée / Numéro de TVA intracommunautaire	n° TVA	FR	'FR'+ 2 digits (as validation key ) + 9 digits (as SIREN), the first and/or the second value can also be a character – e.g. FRXX999999999 The French key is calculated as follow : Key = [ 12 + 3 * ( SIREN modulo 97 ) ] modulo 97, for example  : Key = [ 12 + 3 * ( 404,833,048 modulo 97 ) ] modulo 97 = [12 + 3*56] modulo 97 = 180 modulo 97 = 83 so the tax number for 404,833,048 is FR 83,404,833,048 source from : www.insee.fr
Germany	Umsatzsteuer-Identifikationsnummer	USt-IdNr.	DE	9 digits, e.g. DE999999999
Greece	Arithmós Mētrṓou Phi-Pi-A Αριθμός Μητρώου Φ.Π.Α.	ΦΠΑ	EL	The language code EL according to ISO 639-1, followed by 9 digits, which equal the Greek taxpayer registration number Α.Φ.Μ. (A.F.M.) of the company or of the sole proprietor, i.e.: "Arithmós Mētrṓou Phi-Pi-A" = "EL" + "A.F.M.". The last digit is a check digit inherent of the Α.Φ.Μ. Beware: Due to the great similarity of both numbers - the one being the same number as the other, just having the prefix of EL - in practice sometimes the VAT identification number is wrongly called Α.Φ.Μ. (A.F.M.), but technically the VAT identification number and the taxpayer registration number Α.Φ.Μ. are different register numbers and should not be confused.
Hungary	Közösségi adószám	ANUM	HU	8 digits (the first 8 digits of the national tax number) – e.g. HU12345678
Ireland	Value added tax identification no.	VAT no	IE	'IE'+7 digits and one letter, optionally followed by a 'W' for married women, e.g. IE1234567T or IE1234567TW 'IE'+7 digits and two letters, e.g. IE1234567FA (since January 2013, see ) 'IE'+one digit, one letter/"+"/"*", 5 digits and one letter (old style, currently being phased out, see )
Italy	Partita IVA	P.IVA	IT	11 digits (the first 7 digits is a progressive number, the following 3 means the province of residence, the last digit is a check number)
Latvia	Pievienotās vērtības nodokļa (PVN) reģistrācijas numurs	PVN	LV	11 digits
Lithuania	PVM (abbrev. Pridėtinės vertės mokestis) mokėtojo kodas	PVM kodas	LT	9 or 12 digits
Luxembourg	Numéro d'identification à la taxe sur la valeur ajoutée	No. TVA	LU	8 digits
Malta	Vat reg. no.	Vat No.	MT	8 digits
Netherlands	Btw-nummer	Btw-nr.	NL	'NL'+9 digits+B+2-digit company index – e.g. NL999999999B99
Poland	Numer Identyfikacji Podatkowej	NIP	PL	10 digits, the last one is a check digit; for convenience the digits are separated by hyphens (xxx-xxx-xx-xx or xxx-xx-xx-xxx for legal persons), but formally the number consists only of digits
Portugal	Número de Identificação Fiscal (NIF) - for individual persons / Número de Identificação de Pessoa Colectiva (NIPC) – for companies	NIF or NIPC	PT	9 digits; the last digit is the check digit. The first digit depends on what the number refers to, e.g.: 1-3 are regular persons, 5 are companies.
Romania	Codul de identificare fiscală	CIF	RO	2–10 digits; the last digit is the check digit
Slovakia	Identifikačné číslo pre daň z pridanej hodnoty	IČ DPH	SK	'SK'+10 digits (number must be divisible by 11)
Slovenia	Davčna številka	ID za DDV	SI	8 digits, last one is a check digit[9]
Spain	Número de Identificación Fiscal (for freelancers) or Código de Identificación Fiscal (for companies)	NIF / CIF	ES	'ES'+9 digits, the first or the last value can also be a character – e.g. ESX9999999X
Sweden	VAT-nummer or momsnummer or momsregistreringsnummer	Momsnr.	SE	12 digits, of which the last two are most often 01 e.g. SE999999999901. (For Soletrades that have several Companies the numbers can be 02, 03 and so on, since Soletraders only have their personnummer as the organisationsnummer. The first 10 digits are the same as the Swedish organisationsnummer.[10]
United Kingdom and Isle of Man	Value added tax registration number	VAT Reg No	GB	Country code GB followed by either: standard: 9 digits (block of 3, block of 4, block of 2 – e.g. GB999 9999 73) branch traders: 12 digits (as for 9 digits, followed by a block of 3 digits) government departments: the letters GD then 3 digits from 000 to 499 (e.g. GBGD001) health authorities: the letters HA then 3 digits from 500 to 999 (e.g. GBHA599) For the 9-digit scheme, the 2-digit block containing the 8th and 9th digits is always in the range 00 to 96 and is derived from a weighted modulus-97 check number (an identical algorithm is used for the 12-digit scheme, ignoring the extra 3-digit block).[11] The current modulus-97 series ran out during 2010, so a parallel series of numbers was introduced from November 2009 for new registrations, restarting at 100 nnnn nn and following the same format but with the last two digits derived from an alternative algorithm known as "9755".[12] The algorithm is identical to the one for the established series except that 55 is subtracted to give the check number (modulus 97), so the check number is either 55 less than or (if this would be negative) 42 greater than the check number that a VAT number in the established series would have if it were identical in the first seven digits.[13] The details of the 97−55 check algorithm were to be secret[14] but are now available from HMRC on request.[15] The GD and HA formats may also be formatted as GB888 8xxx yy for EU compatibility, where xxx is the 3-digit number from the short format and yy is the 2-digit modulus-97 check number.[16] Isle of Man registrations share the 9- and 12-digit formats with the UK, with GB as the country code prefix, but are distinguished by having 00 as the first two digits.[17] Numbers with 01 to 09 in the first two digits are reserved by HM Revenue & Customs for UK non-VAT reference schemes.[13]

VAT numbers of non-EU countries

Country	Local name	Abbreviation	Country code	Format[18]
Albania	Numri i Identifikimit për Personin e Tatueshëm	NIPT	AL	10 characters, the first position following the prefix is "J" or "K", and the last character is a letter – e.g. (AL)K99999999L or (AL)J99999999L (L = Letter)
Australia	Australian Business Number	ABN	AU	11 digit number formed from a 9 digit unique identifier and two prefix check digits. The two leading digits (the check digits) will be derived from the subsequent 9 digits using a modulus 89 check digit calculation.
Belarus	Учетный номер плательщика Uchetniy nomer platel'shika	УНП (UNP)	BY	9 digit number (ex. УНП 190190190)
Canada	Business Number Numéro d'entreprise	BN / NE	CA	15 characters
Iceland	Virðisaukaskattsnúmer Value Added Tax Number	VSK / VASK	IS	6 characters
India	Value Added Tax - Taxpayer Identification Number / Central Sales Tax - Taxpayer Identification Number (In most states)	VAT TIN / CST TIN	IN	11 digit number followed by V, to indicate VAT TIN (or by C to indicate CST TIN). First two digits identify the state where the registration is done, e.g. 27 indicates State of Maharashtra. The system was introduced with effect from 2006-04-01.
Indonesia	Nomor Pokok Wajib Pajak	NPWP	ID	15 digit number (ex. 02.271.824.1-413.000)
Monaco	Same as France		FR
Norway	Organisasjonsnummer Organization number	Orgnr	NO	9 digits and the letters 'MVA' to indicate VAT registration. Last (ninth) digit is a MOD11 checksum digit.[19]
Philippines	Tax Identification Number	TIN	PH	12 digit number (ex. xxx xxx xxx xxx)
Russia	Идентификационный номер налогоплательщика Indentifikatzionny nomer nalogoplatel'shchika (Tax Identification Number)	ИНН	RU	10 digits (companies) or 12 digits (persons), first two digits are region of birth or company registration (for foreign companies, two digits after leading 99) MOD 11-10 second two- inspection (before the year 2004, it changed, now stays). for legal personality use the changeable second code (KPP), usually first 4 digits are the same (99-region rule does not apply), usually and default XXXX01001. KPP is also the counter (last 3 digts) The number of KPP's is limited to number of tax inspections in regions other than 77 and 50 (one and only for each) plus one code for the largest companies.
San Marino	Codice operatore economico	C.O.E.	SM	5 digits
Serbia	Poreski identifikacioni broj Tax identification number	PIB	RS	9 digits (ex. 129456789) of which the first 8 are the actual ID number, and the last digit is a checksum digit, calculated according to ISO 7064, MOD 11-10
Switzerland	Mehrwertsteuernummer	MWST/TVA/IVA	CH	6 digits (up to 31/12/2013). CHE 9 numeric digits plus TVA/MWST/IVA e.g. CHE-123.456.789 TVA[20] The last digit is a MOD11 checksum digit build with weighting pattern: 5,4,3,2,7,6,5,4[21]
Turkey	Vergi Kimlik Numarası		TR	10 digits Digits can be any number between 0 to 9. If the company name starts with A, the first digit is 0; if starts with B, it is 1; if it starts with Y or Z it is 9, hence fort.
Ukraine	Ідентифікаційний номер платника податків Identyfikacijnyj nomer platnyka podatkiv	ІНПП (ІНН)	UA	10 digits

VAT numbers of Latin American countries

Country	Local name	Abbreviation	Country code	Format
Argentina	Código Único de Identificación Tributaria	CUIT	AR	11 digits
Bolivia	Número de Identificación Tributaria	NIT	BO
Brazil	Cadastro Nacional de Pessoa Jurídica (Companies)[22] or Cadastro de Pessoa Física (Legal Persons)[23]	CNPJ or CPF	BR	CNPJ composed of a base of 8 digits, a 4-digit radical, and 2 check digits. It is usually written like '11.111.111/0001-55' so as to be more human-readable and CPF composed of a base of 9 digits and 2 check digits
Chile	Rol Único Tributario Unique Taxation Number	RUT	CL	8 digits, one dash, 1 check digit (0-9, K)
Colombia	Número De Identificación Tributaria	NIT	CO	9 digits and 1 check digit
Costa Rica	Cédula Jurídica		CR	Personas físicas nacionales: 9 and 12 digits. It is the Cédula de Persona Física (person's national identification number) without hyphens. Personas físicas extranjeras: 10 and 12 digits. It is the NITE (Número de Identificación Tributaria Especial) without hyphens. Persona jurídica: 10 and 12 digits. It is the Cédula de Persona Jurídica (enterprise's national identification number) without hyphens. Persona extranjera (residente): 11 and 12 digits. It is the DIMEX (Documento de Identificación de Migración y Extranjería) without hyphens.
Ecuador	Número de Registro Unico de Contribuyentes	RUC	EC	13 digits
El Salvador	RTN		SV
Guatemala	Número de Identificación Tributaria	NIT	GT	seven digits, one dash (-); one digit (like 1234567-1)
Honduras	Registro Tributario Nacional	RTN	HN
Mexico	Registro Federal de Contribuyentes	RFC	MX	Natural: 4 digits, 6 numbers (YYMMDD), 3 digits (like AAGB860519G31) Companies: 3 digits, 6 numbers (YYMMDD), 3 digits (like P&G851223B24)
Nicaragua	Registro Unico de Contribuyentes	RUC	NI
Panama	Registro Unico de Contribuyentes	RUC	PA
Paraguay	Registro Unico de Contribuyentes	RUC	PY
Peru	Registro Unico de Contribuyentes	RUC	PE	11 digits
Dominican Republic	Registro Nacional del Contribuyente	RNC	DO	Legal Persons: 11 digits without hyphen. Companies: 9 digits without hyphen.
Uruguay	Registro Único Tributario	RUT	UY
Venezuela	Registro de Informacion Fiscal	RIF	VE	First digit must be (J, G, V, E), one dash (-), next 9 (nine) numbers like J-305959918, in some cases can be written like J-30595991-8

See also

• European Union Value Added Tax Area
• Employer Identification Number

References

1. VIES
2. Electronically supplied services: Special scheme for non-EU Businesses, HM Revenue and Customs, reference: VAT Info Sheet 07/03, May 2003 Archived 13 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
3. EUROPA site – Validation
4. IdEG
5. BULSTAT
6. http://www.erhvervsstyrelsen.dk/hvad_er_cvr
7. http://www.erhvervsstyrelsen.dk/modulus_11
8. http://tarkistusmerkit.teppovuori.fi/tarkmerk.htm#y-tunnus2
9. Ministry of Finance - Tax Administration of the Republic of Slovenia
10. Momsregistreringsnummer Swedish tax agency (in Swedish)
11. SIMA sl EU27 VAT code computing (unofficial validation form and algorithms for EU VAT identification numbers)
12. Minutes of VAT Software Developer Forum held on 10 March 2009
13. Quayle, Stan. "VAT Registration Numbers – New series". VAT Developer Forum – 10 March 2009 (PowerPoint slides, zipped file). HM Revenue & Customs. pp. 34–41. Retrieved 3 November 2009.
14. Minutes of Self Assessment Technical Workshop held on 25 November 2008
15. Joint VAT Consultative Committee (10 September 2009). "Minutes of the 73rd JVCC meeting held on Friday 8 May 2009". JVCC No 2, action point AP 8/09. HM Revenue & Customs. Retrieved 2 November 2009. Agreed to publish on request, and make available to JVCC, but not to include on website in case it confuses and provokes low value contact.
16. V1-28 Registration Vol 1, HM Revenue & Customs
17. VAT Trader Enrolment Help, Isle of Man Government
18. VAT Number Explanation
19. http://www.brreg.no/samordning/organisasjonsnummer.html
20. "Die UID". www.bfs.admin.ch (in German). Retrieved 2015-10-08.
21. "Unternehmens-Identifikationsnummer (UID)". www.uid.ch (in German). Retrieved 2015-10-14.
22. pt:Cadastro Nacional da Pessoa Jurídica
23. pt:Cadastro de Pessoas Físicas

External links

• VIES, European "VAT Information Exchange System".
• Bulk \ Batch VIES VAT number validation service, VAT number validation service".