VAT number checker for your invoices
Check a VAT, GST or tax number before it goes on an invoice: yours or your client's. The check digits catch most typing mistakes, then one click puts the number on a free invoice. Works for EU and UK VAT numbers, Indian GSTINs, Australian ABNs, UAE TRNs and more. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Result
Type a number on the left. It is checked as you type.
Both buttons open the free invoice generator with the number filled in: yours under "Tax ID", your client's under "Tax invoice details". It travels in the part of the link after #, which browsers don't send to any server.
Check a whole list
Paste one number per line, for example the VAT numbers column from your client list (up to 200). Each line is checked the same way; if you picked a country above, it applies to lines without a prefix.
What the check catches, and what it can't
Most tax numbers end in a check digit worked out from the others, so one wrong, missing or swapped digit almost always fails the check. This page runs those checks for each country's published rules, plus the length and shape. A pass means the number is correctly formed; it does not prove it is registered, still active, or belongs to the business on the invoice. For that, use the tax authority's lookup linked in each result.
For the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the US the check digit rules are not published, so the page checks the length and shape only and says so.
Formats and official lookups
| Number | Format | Official lookup |
|---|---|---|
| EU VAT number | Country code + 2 to 13 characters, e.g. DE + 9 digits, FR + 2 characters + 9 digits, NL + 9 digits + B + 2 digits | VIES (European Commission) |
| UK VAT number | GB + 9 digits (or 12 for a branch); GBGD/GBHA + 3 digits for government and health bodies | HMRC: check a UK VAT number |
| Northern Ireland (goods) | XI + the same 9 digits | VIES |
| Swiss UID / VAT | CHE-123.456.789, followed by MWST, TVA or IVA when VAT registered | UID register |
| Norwegian VAT | 9-digit organisation number + MVA | Brønnøysund Register Centre |
| India GSTIN | 15 characters: 2-digit state code, the 10-character PAN, entity number, Z, check character | GST portal: search taxpayer |
| Australia ABN | 11 digits, written 51 824 753 556 | ABN Lookup |
| New Zealand GST / IRD | 8 or 9 digits, written 49-091-850 | No public lookup (Inland Revenue) |
| Canada GST/HST | 9-digit business number + RT + 4 digits, e.g. 123456782 RT0001 | CRA GST/HST registry |
| UAE TRN | 15 digits, starting with 1 (format only) | FTA TRN verification |
| Saudi VAT number | 15 digits, starting and ending with 3 (format only) | ZATCA taxpayer lookup |
| Pakistan NTN / STRN | NTN: 7 digits + check digit (1234567-8) or a 13-digit CNIC; STRN: 13 digits (format only) | FBR (Active Taxpayer List) |
| US EIN | 9 digits, written 12-3456789 (format only) | No public lookup |
Which tax numbers go on an invoice
- Your own number goes on every VAT or GST invoice you issue once you are registered: the UK (VAT Notice 700/21), the EU (EU invoicing rules), your TRN in the UAE, your ABN in Australia (ATO) and your GSTIN in India (Rule 46).
- Your client's number is needed in the EU when the customer pays the VAT under the reverse charge (Article 226 of the VAT Directive), in India when the client is GST registered, and in Australia on tax invoices of A$1,000 or more (the buyer's identity or ABN).
- Not registered? Leave the field empty. Don't print a VAT number you don't have, and don't charge VAT without one.
The free invoice checker lists everything else a VAT or GST invoice must show, country by country.
Checked as you type in every Kitebill generator
The "Tax ID" box in the free invoice generator, quote, proforma, receipt, credit note, statement, purchase order and bulk invoice generators runs the same check, and so does the client's tax ID under "Tax invoice details". In the Kitebill app you save your tax ID once in Settings and it prints on every invoice.
This page checks the format of what you type, using each country's published rules as of October 2026. It is not tax advice, and only the tax authority can confirm a registration.
More free tools
Questions
Does this tell me if a VAT number is registered?
No. It checks the format and the check digits, which catches most typing mistakes (a swapped or missing digit), all inside your browser. Whether a number is actually registered, and to whom, only the tax authority can say: use the official lookup linked under each result, such as the EU’s VIES for EU VAT numbers or HMRC’s service for UK VAT numbers.
Which numbers can it check?
VAT numbers for all 27 EU countries and Northern Ireland (XI), UK VAT numbers, Swiss UID/VAT numbers (CHE), Norwegian VAT numbers, Indian GSTINs, Australian ABNs, New Zealand GST/IRD numbers and Canadian business numbers, all with their check digits; UAE TRNs, Saudi VAT numbers, Pakistani NTN/STRN and US EINs by format only, because their check digits are not published.
Do I need my client’s VAT number on the invoice?
In the EU, when your business customer pays the VAT under the reverse charge, the invoice must show the customer’s VAT number as well as yours (Article 226 of the EU VAT Directive). In the UK and most other places you only need your own number on a VAT invoice. A GST tax invoice in India shows the client’s GSTIN if they are registered.
Why does an EU VAT number start with two letters?
The letters are the country code (DE for Germany, FR for France, and so on; Greece uses EL). On an invoice to another EU country, write the number with its prefix so the customer and their tax office can check it in VIES. UK numbers start with GB, and Northern Ireland businesses trading goods with the EU use XI.
Is it safe to type tax numbers here?
Yes. The check runs in your browser and the page sends nothing and stores nothing. The lookup links open the tax authority’s own site, where you type the number yourself.
Can Kitebill print my VAT number on every invoice?
Yes. In the free Kitebill app, add your tax ID in Settings once and it prints on every invoice; each invoice can also carry the client’s tax ID and the "Tax invoice" title. The free plan covers 3 clients and 10 invoices; Pro is US$29 once.