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Greek VAT Number Checker
A Greek VAT number is the ΑΦΜ (Αριθμός Φορολογικού Μητρώου, the tax registration number) with EL in front: EL followed by nine digits.
Greece's ISO country code is GR, but the EU VAT prefix is EL, from Ελλάδα. Sending GR is the single most common reason a Greek number fails.
Checked live against VIES, the European Commission’s VAT Information Exchange System. Not affiliated with the European Commission or the Greece tax authority.
Greece VAT number format
- Local name
- ΑΦΜ (Αριθμός Φορολογικού Μητρώου)
- Structure
- EL + 9 digits
- Format example
- EL123456789Illustrative: right shape, not a registered business.
- Standard rate
- 24% · reduced 13%, 6%
EL plus nine digits; the last digit is a check digit. Older ΑΦΜ numbers had eight digits and are written with a leading 0 today.
How this Greece check works
- Format, in your browser. As you type, the number is compared with the Greece pattern (prefix, length and characters). This costs nothing and sends nothing: a number in the wrong shape is rejected on the spot and never reaches the registry.
- Registration, live. A well-formed number is then looked up in VIES, the European Commission’s VAT Information Exchange System, which says whether it is registered today and, where the register publishes them, the business name and address. Free checks are limited per visitor per hour so the registry is not scraped through this page.
- More checks, or from your code. A free account gives you an API key with 100 validations a month, the same answer as this page as JSON.
What usually goes wrong
Using GR instead of EL
VIES only knows Greek numbers under EL. Choose Greece in the checker and paste the nine digits; the prefix is handled for you.
Dropping a leading zero
Some ΑΦΜ numbers start with 0, and spreadsheets strip it. An eight-digit Greek number usually needs the 0 back.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the Greek VAT prefix EL?
The EU uses EL for Greece in VAT matters, from the Greek name Ελλάδα. GR is the ISO code and is not accepted by VIES.
Is the ΑΦΜ the same as the VAT number?
The digits are the same. The VAT number is EL plus the ΑΦΜ, and it is active in VIES only while the business is registered for intra-EU trade.
Is checking the format enough?
No. The format check catches typos; the VIES lookup tells you whether the number is registered today.
Validating Greece numbers from your own code instead of by hand? The Greece VAT validation API guide has the endpoint, the response shape and examples in four languages. To check a number from another country, go back to the VAT number checker.