¶ Description
Check the VAT numbers given in input.
¶ Parameters
¶ Parameters tab
Parameters:
- 2 letter country code
- VAT number
- prefix of output columns
- Throttling: max number of requests per minute (0 = unlimited)
- Throttling: number of retries when server is busy
- Optional: extra parameters for cURL
- Debug information level
¶ Description tab
Parameters:
- Script name
- Short description
- Revision
- Decription
¶ Configuration tab
See dedicated page for more information.
¶ About
Action type: HTTP lookup → enrich input rows with VAT validity and (when available) company details from the EU VIES service.
Works with proxy: Yes (HTTP/HTTPS).
Typical runtime: sub-second per row; throttle when sending many rows.
¶ What this action does
For each input row it calls the EU VIES checker and appends result columns. A successful validation sets vat_Status = 1. Some member states do not return name/address even when valid—treat vat_Status as the primary signal.
¶ When to use
- Validate customer/supplier VAT IDs before invoicing.
- Clean datasets by flagging invalid or malformed VAT IDs.
- Pre-check VAT numbers prior to reverse-charge or intra-EU supply workflows.
¶ Prerequisites
- Internet egress to
ec.europa.eu(ports 80/443). - If your network uses a proxy, have the proxy URL ready (e.g.,
http://proxy.company:3128).
¶ Input requirements
Create two input columns:
| Column | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
CountryCode |
String | ✅ | 2-letter uppercase ISO country code (e.g., IE, DE, FR). |
VATNumber |
String | ✅ | VAT number without the country prefix, no spaces or hyphens. |
¶ Minimal sample (CSV)
CountryCode,VATNumber
IE,6388047V
DE,136695976
¶ Recommended idOptional
VIES sometimes serves an HTML “policy_request_redirect” page. Follow redirects and emulate a browser:
--location --user-agent "Mozilla/5.0" --referer https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/ --connect-timeout 20 --max-time 40
Using a proxy (if required):
--proxy http://HOST:PORT
(or http://USER:PASS@HOST:PORT)
¶ Output
With colPrefix = vat_, expect columns like:
| Output column | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
vat_Status |
Int | 1 = valid VAT; 0 = invalid / not confirmed |
vat_Company Name |
String | Company name (may be null for some member states) |
vat_Company Address |
String | Company address (may be null) |
Note: Name and address are optional in VIES responses. Treat
vat_Statusas authoritative.
¶ Step-by-step (quick start)
-
Prepare input table with
CountryCodeandVATNumber(use the sample CSV above). -
Open vatCheck and set:
-
idCountry→CountryCode -
idVAT→VATNumber -
colPrefix→vat_ -
maxRPM→10(or0for ≤10 rows) -
nIterMax→5 -
idOptional→--location --user-agent "Mozilla/5.0" --referer https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/ --connect-timeout 20 --max-time 40(append
--proxy ...if your network requires it) -
idDebug→nothing(orbasicwhile troubleshooting)
-
-
Run. Check the Data tab for
vat_columns andvat_Status.
¶ Troubleshooting
¶ “Redirect (policy_request_redirect)”
- Add the Recommended
idOptionalflags (--location --user-agent ... --referer ...). - Ensure outbound HTTPS to
ec.europa.euis allowed by your firewall/proxy. - If your action build still calls an
http://URL internally, ask your admin to update to thehttps://endpoint (seen in older revisions).
¶ vat_Status = 0 but number seems valid
- Confirm that
VATNumberdoes not include the country letters. - Remove spaces/hyphens; use uppercase country codes.
- Some numbers may be valid yet temporarily unconfirmed if the member state service is down—retry later.
¶ No name/address returned
- Many member states do not expose name/address. This is expected. Use
vat_Statusas the validation signal.
¶ Network/proxy issues
- Add
--proxy http://HOST:PORTinidOptional. - Keep
--connect-timeout 20 --max-time 40. - Set
idDebug = basicto surface HTTP/cURL messages in the Log tab.
¶ Rate limiting / busy server
- Increase
nIterMaxto 8–10 for flaky periods. - Lower
maxRPMto 5–10 to be polite to the VIES service.
¶ Best practices
- Validate before writing to your ERP/CRM; store the raw input and the
vat_results. - Keep a rejection list for frequent invalid entries to avoid hammering the service.
- Log country-specific quirks (e.g., FR often returns
nullfor name/address).
