VAT & EORI Number Checker
Check whether a UK VAT number or EORI number is valid, using HMRC’s own services.
Why it is worth checking
If you reclaim VAT on a purchase invoice, you are relying on the supplier being genuinely VAT registered. If they are not, the VAT on that invoice is not recoverable, and HMRC can and does disallow it on inspection — leaving you out of pocket for someone else’s error.
It matters most when you are dealing with a supplier for the first time, when an invoice arrives with a VAT number that looks irregular, when a large one-off purchase is involved, or when a supplier’s details have recently changed.
A VAT number on an invoice is a claim, not a proof. It takes thirty seconds to verify.
Keep the proof
HMRC’s VAT service can issue a reference number confirming that you checked, and on what date. Keep it with the purchase record. If a supplier’s registration is later found to be invalid, evidence that you checked at the time is the difference between a reasonable position and an expensive one.
What an EORI number is for
An EORI number identifies a business moving goods into or out of the UK. You need one to make customs declarations, and your freight agent or courier will ask for it. GB numbers are used for Great Britain, XI numbers for Northern Ireland movements under the Windsor Framework.
If you have started importing or exporting and are not sure whether your number is registered correctly, checking it before a shipment is due is considerably less stressful than checking it while goods sit at a port.
Checking an EU VAT number
These services cover UK numbers. For a VAT number issued in an EU member state, use the European Commission’s VIES service instead, which validates VAT numbers across the EU.
If a supplier’s VAT number does not check out, or an invoice does not look right, send it over before you process it. Getting VAT recovery wrong is one of the more common and more expensive errors we correct.
In preparing and maintaining this section of our website every effort has been made to ensure the content is up to date and accurate. However, the law and regulations change continually, and unintentional errors can occur, and the information may be neither up to date nor accurate. We make no representation or warranty (including liability towards third parties), express or implied, as to the accuracy, reliability or completeness of the information on the website. Please don’t act directly on anything you read — contact us first for advice on how it may affect your individual circumstances.