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Romanian VAT Number Checker
A Romanian VAT number is the company's fiscal code (CUI/CIF) with RO in front. Unlike most EU numbers it has no fixed length: anything from two to ten digits is valid.
On Romanian invoices the RO prefix carries meaning. A business registered for VAT prints RO before its code; one that is not prints the bare number. If a customer gives you a code without RO, they may simply not be VAT registered.
Checked live against VIES, the European Commission’s VAT Information Exchange System. Not affiliated with the European Commission or the Romania tax authority.
Romania VAT number format
- Local name
- CIF / CF (Cod de Identificare Fiscală / Cod Fiscal)
- Structure
- RO + 2 to 10 digits
- Format example
- RO1234567890Illustrative: right shape, not a registered business.
- Standard rate
- 19% · reduced 9%, 5%
RO plus two to ten digits, no letters. Because the length varies, the format check here is loose by design — the VIES lookup does the real work.
How this Romania check works
- Format, in your browser. As you type, the number is compared with the Romania 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
Adding RO to an unregistered code
Prefixing a bare CUI with RO does not make it a VAT number. If the business is not registered for VAT, VIES will report it as invalid.
Sending the trade register number
Romanian trade register numbers start with J (for example J40/1234/2020). They are not fiscal codes and fail the format check.
Frequently asked questions
Why do Romanian VAT numbers have different lengths?
Fiscal codes were issued sequentially without padding, so older companies have shorter codes. Two to ten digits are all valid.
What does RO mean in front of a Romanian code?
It indicates the business is registered for VAT. A code without it on an invoice usually means it is not.
Is checking the format enough?
No, and less so for Romania than anywhere: with variable length, almost any digit string has the right shape. Use the VIES lookup.
Validating Romania numbers from your own code instead of by hand? The Romania 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.