validate_vat
Query the EU VIES system to confirm a VAT number is active and retrieve registered company name and address for B2B invoice validation and due diligence.
Instructions
Validate a European VAT registration number and return company details.
Queries the EU VIES (VAT Information Exchange System) database in real-time
to confirm the VAT number is currently registered and active. Returns the
registered company name and address. Essential for B2B invoice validation,
zero-rating intra-EU supplies, and customer due diligence.
Note: VIES can return 'SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE' during planned maintenance
(typically weekends). The response includes a 'source' field indicating
whether data came from live VIES or a cached fallback.
Args:
vat_number: VAT number including the two-letter country prefix
(e.g. 'GB123456789', 'DE123456789', 'FR12345678901').
Spaces and dashes in the number are ignored.
Returns:
valid (bool): True if the VAT number is active in VIES.
country_code: ISO country code of the VAT registration.
vat_number: Normalised VAT number without country prefix.
company_name: Registered business name (may be '---' if VIES withholds).
address: Registered business address (may be '---' if VIES withholds).
request_date: Date of the VIES query (ISO 8601).
Input Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| vat_number | Yes |