Germany VAT number: format and validation

By Remco from Avatcado

Format

DE followed by 9 digits. The local term is Umsatzsteuer-Identifikationsnummer (USt-IdNr., German).

Pattern: /^\d{9}$/

  • Distinct from the domestic Steuernummer issued by the local Finanzamt; only the USt-IdNr. is used for intra-EU trade
  • Issued numbers do not start with 0

Example of a registered number: DE129274202

Check digit

Germany VAT numbers carry a check digit (ISO 7064 MOD 11,10): The final digit is an ISO 7064 MOD 11,10 product check computed over the first eight digits.

Check a Germany VAT number

Checks route through VIES. Caching is enabled by default. Read the source, original result time and freshness label alongside validity; a cached or stale result does not freshly confirm current registration. VIES confirms validity for Germany numbers but does not disclose the company name or address, so company is null.

Enter a VAT number to see its registration result, source and freshness

Validate via API

The same validation as an API call, with the example number above:

curl "https://api.avatcado.com/v1/validate?vat_number=DE129274202" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer avat_live_your_api_key"
import Avatcado from "@avatcado/node";

const avatcado = new Avatcado("avat_live_your_api_key");
const { data, error } = await avatcado.vat.validate({
  vatNumber: "DE129274202",
});

if (data?.data.valid) {
  console.log(`Registered: ${data.data.company?.name}`);
}

Free tier includes 500 validations per month. Get an API key or read the API documentation.

How Avatcado validates Germany numbers

  • Primary source: VIES.
  • Company name and address: no, VIES discloses neither for Germany (observed 2026-09-04).
  • When VIES is down: the most recent cached result, then a refunded 503.

See the full coverage table.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the Steuernummer and the USt-IdNr.?

The Steuernummer is a domestic tax number assigned by the local Finanzamt, while the USt-IdNr. is issued by the BZSt specifically for intra-EU transactions. German invoices may carry either domestically, but only the USt-IdNr. works in VIES.

What is the German small business threshold?

Since 1 January 2025 the Kleinunternehmer rules exempt businesses with prior-year turnover up to EUR 25,000 and current-year turnover up to EUR 100,000 (section 19 UStG).

How does Avatcado validate Germany VAT numbers when VIES is down?

For Germany VAT numbers, uncached checks use VIES, the EU's VAT Information Exchange System, which routes the query to Germany's own national database. Caching is enabled by default without a requester VAT number. Read the freshness label and original result time to distinguish a new lookup from a previous result. VIES confirms validity for Germany numbers but does not disclose the company name or address, so company is null even for a valid number. That is a data choice made by Germany's own tax administration rather than a limitation of Avatcado's integration, and it matched what we observed on 2026-09-04. No national register is published for Germany that Avatcado can consult as a substitute, unlike the ten EU countries with a national fallback on Pro and Business, so an availability fault such as MS_UNAVAILABLE or a timeout can be answered only by eligible cache. A stored result has meta.cached: true and meta.source_status: "unavailable", plus meta.stale: true when it is past the cache window. Requester checks disable stored responses by default; cache=true opts back in. If no eligible stored result can answer, the request returns a refunded 503 (upstream_member_state_unavailable). A cached or stale result is earlier registration evidence, not a fresh check.

Related guides

VAT rate in Germany

The standard VAT rate in Germany is 19%. Reduced rates: 7%. See all Germany VAT rates.

Sources