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Irish VAT Number Checker
Irish VAT numbers have more than one valid shape. The current form is seven digits followed by one or two letters — IE1234567A or IE1234567AB. An older form, still in use, has a letter or symbol in second position: IE1A23456B.
Ireland hosts the EU headquarters of many software and platform companies, so Irish numbers are some of the most frequently checked in B2B billing.
Checked live against VIES, the European Commission’s VAT Information Exchange System. Not affiliated with the European Commission or the Ireland tax authority.
Ireland VAT number format
- Local name
- VAT registration number
- Structure
- IE + digit + alphanumeric + 5 digits + 1-2 letters
- Format example
- IE1234567AIllustrative: right shape, not a registered business.
- Standard rate
- 23% · reduced 13.5%, 9%, 4.8%
IE plus eight or nine characters: seven digits and one or two letters, or the older digit–letter–five digits–letter form. The trailing letters are check characters.
How this Ireland check works
- Format, in your browser. As you type, the number is compared with the Ireland 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
Sending the CRO number
The Companies Registration Office number is up to six digits and identifies a company, not its VAT registration. It fails the format check.
Dropping the second letter
Numbers issued since 2013 can end in two letters. IE1234567 or a number cut to one letter will not validate.
Frequently asked questions
Why do Irish VAT numbers have different formats?
The format changed over time and older numbers were never reissued, so both remain valid. The checker accepts each of them.
Is the Irish VAT number the same as the tax reference?
For many businesses the VAT number and the tax reference share digits, but only the VAT registration is in VIES.
Is checking the format enough?
No. The format check catches typos; the VIES lookup tells you whether the number is registered today.
Validating Ireland numbers from your own code instead of by hand? The Ireland 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.