Software Sphere—VAT Number Validation Tool

1. Introduction

The VAT Number Validation Tool is a powerful, free service designed to verify the validity and format of VAT (Value Added Tax) numbers across the European Union and United Kingdom. Whether you're a developer integrating VAT validation into your application or a business user needing quick manual verification, our tool provides instant, accurate results.

✓ 27 EU Countries + UK

Full support for all EU member states and UK (including Northern Ireland)

✓ Real-Time Validation

Instant format validation with sub-second response times

✓ Free REST API

No rate limits, no usage fees, no credit card required

✓ Company Details

Get business name and address when available

2. Quick Start

Get started in seconds with our simple API. No authentication required!

cURL - Quick Test

                                    curl "https://softwaresphere.ca/tools/VATNumberValidationTool/api.php?vat_number=DE123456789"

That's it! The API returns a JSON response with validation results, country information, and format details.

3. Web Interface

For manual validation, use our beautiful web interface at the Try page. No login or API key required.

How to Use:

Navigate to the Try page
Enter the VAT number including the country prefix (e.g., DE123456789)
Click "Validate" to get instant results
View company details, format information, and ISO codes
Copy the JSON response for your records

4. API Integration

Integrate VAT validation into your application using our REST API.

Endpoint

Base URL

                                    GET/POST https://softwaresphere.ca/tools/VATNumberValidationTool/api.php

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`vat_number`	string	Required	The VAT number to validate (include country prefix)
`vat`	string	Optional	Alias for vat_number parameter

5. Batch Validation

For validating multiple VAT numbers, you can make concurrent API requests. Since there are no rate limits, you can process large batches efficiently.

JavaScript - Batch Validation

                                    const vatNumbers = ['DE123456789', 'NL853746333B01', 'FR12345678901'];
const results = await Promise.all(
    vatNumbers.map(vat =>
        fetch(`https://softwaresphere.ca/tools/VATNumberValidationTool/api.php?vat_number=${vat}`)
            .then(res => res.json())
    )
);
results.forEach(result => {
    console.log(`${result.vatNumber}: ${result.valid ? 'Valid' : 'Invalid'}`);
});
                                

6. Response Format

All API responses are returned in JSON format with the following structure:

Example Response

                                    {
    "success": true,
    "input": "DE123456789",
    "vatNumber": "DE123456789",
    "valid": true,
    "validFormat": true,
    "country": {
        "name": "Germany",
        "isoCode": {
            "short": "DE",
            "long": "DEU",
            "numeric": "276"
        }
    },
    "company": {
        "name": "Format validated - use VIES for company details",
        "address": "N/A"
    },
    "format": "DE + 9 digits",
    "example": "DE123456789",
    "message": "VAT number format is valid for Germany"
}
                                

Response Fields

Field	Type	Description
`success`	boolean	Whether the API call completed successfully
`valid`	boolean	Whether the VAT number format is valid
`validFormat`	boolean	Whether the format matches country requirements
`country.name`	string	Full country name
`country.isoCode.short`	string	ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code
`country.isoCode.long`	string	ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code
`country.isoCode.numeric`	string	ISO 3166-1 numeric code
`company.name`	string	Company name (when available)
`company.address`	string	Company address (when available)
`format`	string	Expected format description
`example`	string	Example VAT number for the country
`message`	string	Human-readable status message

7. Country Formats

Each EU country has a specific VAT number format. Here are the supported formats:

Country	Code	Format	Example
🇦🇹 Austria	AT	ATU + 8 digits	ATU12345678
🇧🇪 Belgium	BE	BE + 10 digits	BE0123456789
🇩🇪 Germany	DE	DE + 9 digits	DE123456789
🇫🇷 France	FR	FR + 11 characters	FR12345678901
🇬🇧 United Kingdom	GB	GB + 9 or 12 digits	GB123456789
🇮🇹 Italy	IT	IT + 11 digits	IT12345678901
🇳🇱 Netherlands	NL	NL + 12 characters	NL123456789B01
🇪🇸 Spain	ES	ES + 9 characters	ESX12345678
🇵🇱 Poland	PL	PL + 10 digits	PL1234567890
🇬🇧 Northern Ireland	XI	XI + 9 or 12 digits	XI123456789

For a complete list of all 28 supported countries, see the API documentation.

8. Error Handling

The API returns helpful error messages when validation fails:

Invalid Country Code Response

                                    {
    "success": false,
    "error": "Unknown country code",
    "message": "The country prefix 'XX' is not recognized"
}
                                

Invalid Format Response

                                    {
    "success": true,
    "valid": false,
    "validFormat": false,
    "message": "VAT number format is invalid for Germany. Expected: DE + 9 digits"
}
                                

9. Code Examples

Python

python

                                    import requests
def validate_vat(vat_number):
    response = requests.get(
        'https://softwaresphere.ca/tools/VATNumberValidationTool/api.php',
        params={'vat_number': vat_number}
    )
    return response.json()
result = validate_vat('DE123456789')
print(f"Valid: {result['valid']}")
print(f"Country: {result['country']['name']}")
                                

PHP

php

                                    <?php
$vatNumber = 'NL853746333B01';
$url = "https://softwaresphere.ca/tools/VATNumberValidationTool/api.php?vat_number=" . urlencode($vatNumber);
$response = file_get_contents($url);
$result = json_decode($response, true);
echo "Valid: " . ($result['valid'] ? 'Yes' : 'No') . "\n";
echo "Country: " . $result['country']['name'] . "\n";
?>
                                

Node.js

javascript

                                    const axios = require('axios');
async function validateVAT(vatNumber) {
    const response = await axios.get(
        'https://softwaresphere.ca/tools/VATNumberValidationTool/api.php',
        { params: { vat_number: vatNumber } }
    );
    return response.data;
}
validateVAT('FR12345678901').then(result => {
    console.log(`Valid: ${result.valid}`);
    console.log(`Country: ${result.country.name}`);
});
                                

10. Frequently Asked Questions

Is this service really free?

Yes! The VAT Number Validation Tool is 100% free with no rate limits, no usage fees, and no hidden charges. Use it as much as you need.

Do I need an API key?

No! No API key is required for any usage - web interface or API. Just call the endpoint directly.

Which countries are supported?

All 27 EU member states plus the United Kingdom (GB) and Northern Ireland (XI) are supported.

Does this validate the business registration?

This tool validates the VAT number format. For official VIES (VAT Information Exchange System) validation against EU databases, we recommend using the EU's official VIES service in conjunction with our format validation.

Can I use this in production?

Absolutely! The API is designed for production use with high availability and no rate limits.

VAT Number Validation Tool Documentation