If you invoice a company in another EU country without VAT (reverse charge), you must make sure the buyer's VAT number is valid. In domestic deals, too, checking the VAT number helps catch invoice errors and dishonest partners.

Where VAT numbers are checked

  • EC VIES — the European Commission's system that confirms whether a VAT number is valid for cross-border transactions and shows the registered name and address.
  • National registers — in Latvia the SRS (VID) VAT register, in Estonia KMKR (RIK and EMTA data), in Lithuania the VMI VAT payer data. These also show the registration and deregistration dates.

VAT number format

  • Latvia: LV + 11 digits (usually the same as the registration number).
  • Estonia: EE + 9 digits (different from the 8-digit registry code).
  • Lithuania: LT + 9 or 12 digits.

How to do it with Regmio

Find the company by name or registration number. The profile shows the VAT number, the VAT registration history and a live EC VIES check. In one view you see whether the number is valid, whether the company is active at all, and who represents it.

What if the number is not valid

Ask your partner for the correct number or a confirmation from the tax authority. Until validity is confirmed, applying a 0% VAT rate to a cross-border sale is risky — the VAT liability may stay with the seller.

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