German VAT Number Check

About the German VAT number

The German VAT identification number is the Umsatzsteuer-Identifikationsnummer, abbreviated USt-IdNr. or USt-ID. It is issued by the Federal Central Tax Office (Bundeszentralamt für Steuern, BZSt) and consists of DE followed by 9 digits.

German businesses also have a Steuernummer from their local tax office, which is used for domestic tax returns. The Steuernummer is not a VAT identification number and is not in VIES, so it can never pass a VIES check.

German VAT number format

• Format: DE + 9 digits
• Example: DE123456789 (illustrative, not a real number)
• Length: 11 characters including the prefix
• Local name: Umsatzsteuer-Identifikationsnummer, USt-IdNr.
• The format is DE followed by exactly 9 digits. The last digit is a check digit.
• Germany is introducing a business identification number (Wirtschafts-Identifikationsnummer) that adds a five-digit suffix such as -00001. For a VIES check, use the DE + 9 digit part.

Where to find a German VAT number

• On German invoices, where the USt-IdNr. or the Steuernummer of the seller must be shown.
• In the imprint (Impressum) of the company website, where many German businesses publish their USt-IdNr.
• In order confirmations and supplier master data forms.

Common input mistakes

• Entering the Steuernummer (often written with slashes, like 12/345/67890) instead of the USt-IdNr.
• Dropping or adding a digit: the part after DE must be exactly 9 digits.
• Keeping the five-digit suffix of the business identification number in the field.

German VAT numbers in practice

The ninth digit of a USt-IdNr. is a check digit (ISO 7064, MOD 11,10), so a single mistyped digit usually produces a number that VIES reports as invalid. The BZSt also runs its own confirmation service for German businesses that want to check the VAT numbers of their EU customers and suppliers, including a qualified check of name and address.

Small businesses under the German small-business rule (Kleinunternehmerregelung) do not charge VAT and may have only a Steuernummer. A USt-IdNr. is issued on application, typically when a business trades across EU borders.

How to check German VAT numbers

Paste your German numbers into the validator above, one per line, each starting with DE. Spaces, dots and hyphens are removed automatically, and lower-case letters are converted to upper case.

justaxit first checks each entry against the Germany format (DE + 9 digits). Numbers with the wrong shape are flagged immediately and are not sent to VIES. Well-formed numbers are then checked through VIES, which asks the Germany tax administration whether the number is currently valid for intra-EU transactions.

Each result shows valid or invalid, plus the name and address when the member state shares them through VIES. If the national service is temporarily unavailable, the number is marked for retry rather than reported as invalid. Registered users can save lists and export results to CSV, Excel or PDF.

German VAT number FAQ

What is the format of a German VAT number?

DE followed by 9 digits, for example DE123456789.

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

The USt-IdNr. is the EU VAT identification number used for intra-EU trade and is checkable in VIES. The Steuernummer is a domestic tax number and is not in VIES.

Why does VIES not show a company name for German numbers?

Germany does not share the name and address of the number holder through VIES, so a German check returns valid or invalid without company details.

Can I validate a list of German suppliers at once?

Yes. Paste the numbers one per line into the validator on this page or the batch EU VAT checker and export the results.