Ireland VAT number: format and validation

By Remco from Avatcado

Format

IE followed by 7 digits and 1 or 2 letters, or the older style of 1 digit, 1 letter, 5 digits, and 1 letter. The local term is VAT registration number (VAT No, English) or Cain Bhreisluacha (CBL, Irish).

Pattern: /^(\d{7}[A-Z]{1,2}|\d[A-Z]\d{5}[A-Z])$/

  • Two formats coexist: the older 8-character style with a letter in second position and the current 7 digits plus 1-2 trailing letters; 9-character numbers ending in two letters have been issued to new registrants since 2013
  • The final letter of the 7-digit style is a check character, and a second trailing letter, when present, feeds into the checksum rather than being decorative

Example of a registered number: IE6388047V

Check digit

Ireland VAT numbers carry a check digit (MOD 23 letter check): The 7 digits are weighted 8 down to 2 (plus 9 times the second trailing letter's value when present), summed, and the sum mod 23 selects the check letter.

Check a Ireland 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.

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=IE6388047V" \
  -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: "IE6388047V",
});

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 Ireland numbers

  • Primary source: VIES.
  • Company name and address: yes, 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 are the VAT registration thresholds in Ireland?

Since 1 January 2025 the principal thresholds are EUR 42,500 for businesses supplying only services and EUR 85,000 for goods. Separate limits apply for EU acquisitions (EUR 41,000) and EU-wide distance sales (EUR 10,000); below the threshold, registration is optional.

What is Ireland's two-tier VAT registration?

Since June 2019 applicants choose between a domestic-only and an intra-EU registration. Domestic-only covers Irish and non-EU trade and is faster to obtain, while intra-EU status is required for intra-Community trade and needs extra evidence; a domestic-only registrant can upgrade at any time.

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

For Ireland VAT numbers, uncached checks use VIES, the EU's VAT Information Exchange System, which routes the query to Ireland'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. A valid answer includes the registered company name and address that Ireland's tax administration publishes through VIES, which we last confirmed against a real registered number on 2026-09-04. No national register is published for Ireland 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 Ireland

The standard VAT rate in Ireland is 23%. Reduced rates: 13.5%, 9%, 4.8%. See all Ireland VAT rates.

Sources