HMRC Check a UK VAT number

Overview

“Check a UK VAT number” is the GOV.UK service run by HM Revenue & Customs for confirming that a UK VAT registration number is valid and seeing the name and address of the business it is registered to^[3]. It is the official route for GB numbers, which VIES stopped validating at the start of 2021^[1].

A VAT-registered business that enters its own VAT number can use the service to prove when it checked a number^[3]. For software, HMRC publishes the Check a UK VAT number API on its Developer Hub. Version 2.0 is the recommended version and is labelled beta; it sits behind authentication, and production credentials are issued after testing in the sandbox and accepting the terms of use^[4]. The API returns registration status, name and address, and a reference number when used in verified check mode. Version 1 was removed on 17 February 2025^[4].

The limitations are practical. The service cannot search by business name, cannot be used for a business still awaiting registration, and covers only UK numbers^[3]. HMRC’s API registration is stated to take about two weeks and possibly longer^[4].

HMRC Check a UK VAT number features

• Validity check plus registered name and address
• Proof-of-check when own VAT number entered
• Developer API version 2.0
• Reference number in verified check mode
• Sandbox environment for testing
• English and Welsh interfaces

HMRC Check a UK VAT number pricing

Free. API use requires registration on the HMRC Developer Hub and acceptance of the Terms of Use 2.0.

HMRC Check a UK VAT number strengths and limitations

Appears in

• Best VAT Number Checkers and Validation Tools in 2026 #2

HMRC Check a UK VAT number alternatives and competitors

Alternatives to HMRC Check a UK VAT number: companies ranked in the same lists.

• VIVIES (VAT Information Exchange System)
• Brønnøysund Register Centre (Enhetsregisteret)
• SUSwiss UID register
• VAT Sense
• Vatstack
• MonitorPay
• LLookuptax
• Fonoa
• vatcheckapi
• Abstract API (VAT Validation & Rates)
• VVATcomply
• VATFind