Foreign VAT identification number; confirmation of validity
If you want to trade in goods and services within the EU, you must apply for a VAT identification number.
Description
The Federal Central Tax Office can confirm the validity of foreign VAT identification numbers (VAT ID number) if you are an entrepreneur or entrepreneur with registered office in Germany and you have a valid VAT ID number. has been allocated.
If you are a warehousekeeper within the meaning of the VAT Act, you may be able to check the validity of the German VAT ID. of the outsourcer or its fiscal representative.
The Federal Central Tax Office confirms on request:
- the validity of a VAT ID no. the name, legal form and address of the trader to whom the VAT ID. issued by another Member State;
- the warehousekeeper: the validity of the German VAT ID. and the name, legal form and address of the outsourcer or his fiscal representative.
Simple and qualified confirmation
A simple confirmation will inform you whether a foreign VAT ID number. valid at the time of the query in the EU country that issued it.
In the event of a qualified confirmation, you can also ask whether the company name information you provide, including legal form, company location, postcode and street, matches the business data registered in the respective EU country. You will only see the result of your information in the form "agrees" or "does not match". You cannot view the company data.
Before qualifying confirmation, you must perform a simple confirmation.
Prerequisites
The right to query are:
- Owner with a valid German VAT ID. Or
- Warehousekeepers within the meaning of the Vat Act
Procedure
You can carry out the simple and qualified query on the website of the Federal Central Office for Taxation, by e-mail, by telephone, by post, by fax, electronically by interface (XML-RPC standard).
Online:
- Go to the electronic form on the page of the Federal Central Tax Office and follow the instructions.
- The result is displayed directly to you.
- If you want a written notification (official confirmation notice), you must click on the appropriate field.
- You can back up the result of your simple and qualified query by screenshot on your computer.
By post, phone or fax:
- The simple and qualified query can be done by post, telephone, fax or e-mail.
- You will receive the answer in writing.
By interface:
- The so-called XML-RPC interface gives companies the opportunity to check foreign VAT ID. into our own software systems and VAT-IdNr. automated queries.
- The integration of the XML-RPC interface must be carried out by the company on its own initiative and requires appropriate programming knowledge.
- The Federal Central Tax Office cannot provide any assistance or assistance in this regard.
Processing time
Immediately (if necessary mail run)
Links to more information
Status: 21.06.2022
Responsible for editing: Bundesministerium der Finanzen
- Online transactions, Bavaria-wide
- Online transactions, locally limited
- Prefillable Form, Bavaria-wide
- Legal bases, Bavaria-wide
- Legal bases, locally limited
- Fees, Bavaria-wide
- Fees, locally limited