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Dutch VAT Number Checker
A Dutch BTW-nummer is not nine digits. It is nine digits, the letter B, and two more digits. The B is not punctuation you can drop on the way to the API — it is part of the identifier, and the pair of digits after it distinguishes legal entities belonging to the same owner.
The Netherlands is also where a lot of European logistics paperwork passes through, so a validator that quietly mangles Dutch numbers tends to fail on exactly the customers who invoice across borders most often.
Checked live against VIES, the European Commission's VAT Information Exchange System. Not affiliated with the European Commission or the Netherlands tax authority.
Netherlands VAT number format
- Local name
- BTW-nummer (Belasting over de Toegevoegde Waarde)
- Structure
- NL + 9 digits + B + 2 digits
- Valid example
- NL123456789B01
- Standard rate
- 21% · reduced 9%
NL, nine digits, B, then two digits. The suffix is almost always B01, but B02 and higher are issued when one owner holds several entities.
What usually goes wrong
Dropping the B
This is the single most common Dutch format error. A number normalised down to eleven digits is not a shortened BTW-nummer, it is an invalid one, and VIES will say so without telling you why.
Hardcoding the B01 suffix
Writing the validator against the common case rejects every legitimate B02, B03 and beyond. Match two digits after the B rather than the literal 01.
Validating an old sole-trader number
Until 2020 a Dutch sole trader's VAT number embedded their citizen service number. Those were replaced with a separate BTW-id precisely so the BSN would stop appearing on invoices, so a stored number from an older record may no longer resolve.
Frequently asked questions
What does the B in a Dutch VAT number mean?
It separates the nine-digit base from a two-digit entity sequence. One owner can hold several VAT-registered entities that share a base number and differ only in the digits after the B.
Is the suffix always B01?
No. B01 is the first entity and by far the most common, which is why so many validators assume it. Higher suffixes are issued to additional entities under the same owner and are equally valid.
What is the Dutch VAT rate?
The standard BTW rate is 21%, with a reduced rate of 9% covering food, medicines, books and passenger transport.
Validating Netherlands numbers from your own code instead of by hand? The Netherlands 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.