# Avatcado

> Developer-friendly VAT and GST validation API for 32 countries

## What is Avatcado?
Avatcado is a REST API for validating VAT and GST numbers across 32 countries. It wraps VIES (27 EU member states + Northern Ireland), HMRC (United Kingdom), the Swiss BFS UID Register (Switzerland + Liechtenstein), the Norwegian Bronnoysund Register, and the Australian ABR behind a single endpoint with structured JSON responses, built-in caching, and test mode. Built for developers who need reliable VAT/GST validation in billing, checkout, or compliance flows.

## API
- Base URL: https://api.avatcado.com
- Auth: Bearer token (API key with `avat_live_` or `avat_test_` prefix)
- Single validation: GET /v1/validate?vat_number={vat_number}
- Batch validation: POST /v1/validate/batch (up to 50, Pro/Business only)
- VAT rates: GET /v1/rates (free, unlimited, no quota usage)
- Response envelope: { data, meta } or { error, meta }

## Pricing
- Free: EUR 0/month, 500 validations
- Pro: EUR 39/month (or EUR 29/month billed annually), 10,000 validations
- Business: EUR 129/month (or EUR 99/month billed annually), 50,000 validations

## Coverage
- 27 EU member states via VIES
- United Kingdom via HMRC
- Northern Ireland (XI prefix) via VIES
- Switzerland (CH) and Liechtenstein (LI) via BFS UID Register
- Norway (NO) via Bronnoysund Enhetsregisteret
- Australia (AU) via ABR

## Key Features
- 25-day result caching with stale fallback when upstream is down
- Test mode with magic VAT numbers (no upstream calls, no quota usage)
- Structured error responses with machine-readable codes and docs_url
- Input normalization (handles messy formatting automatically)
- Rate limit headers on every response
- Consultation numbers for audit proof (pass requester_vat_number)
- TypeScript SDK: @avatcado/node (npm)
- Python SDK: avatcado (PyPI)

## Free Tools
- VAT number checker (no account needed): https://www.avatcado.com/vat-checker
- VAT number formats by country (format, check digits, examples): https://www.avatcado.com/vat-number
- VAT rates by country: https://www.avatcado.com/vat-rates (standard, reduced, and zero rates for 32 countries, updated daily)

## Links
- Website: https://www.avatcado.com
- API Docs: https://docs.avatcado.com
- API Docs (LLM-optimized): https://docs.avatcado.com/llms.txt
- Developer Guides (LLM-optimized, full text): https://www.avatcado.com/llms-full.txt
- OpenAPI Spec: https://docs.avatcado.com/openapi.yaml
- Status: https://www.avatcado.com/vies-uptime
- SDK: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@avatcado/node
- SDK: https://pypi.org/project/avatcado/
- GitHub: https://github.com/avatcado

## Marketing Pages
- Features: https://www.avatcado.com/features
- Pricing: https://www.avatcado.com/pricing
- Developer Guides: https://www.avatcado.com/guides
- VAT Checker: https://www.avatcado.com/vat-checker
- VAT Number Formats: https://www.avatcado.com/vat-number
- VAT Rates: https://www.avatcado.com/vat-rates
- Competitor Comparisons: https://www.avatcado.com/alternatives
- VIES Uptime Monitor: https://www.avatcado.com/vies-uptime