Home / Tools / VAT Number Checker / Switzerland
Swiss VAT Number Checker
Swiss businesses are identified by the UID (Unternehmens-Identifikationsnummer): CHE followed by nine digits, written CHE-123.456.789. A VAT-registered business adds MWST, TVA or IVA after it, depending on the language.
Switzerland is outside the EU, so VIES does not cover it. Today this checker verifies the format and the check digit only: a live lookup against the federal UID register is not available to us at the moment, and we say so in every result rather than guess.
Format and check digit verified in your browser; no live registry lookup is available for Switzerland today. Not affiliated with the Switzerland tax authority.
Switzerland VAT number format
- Local name
- MWST/TVA/IVA (UID-Nummer)
- Structure
- CHE- + 3 digits + . + 3 digits + . + 3 digits
- Format example
- CHE-123.456.788 MWSTIllustrative: right shape and check digit, not a registered business.
- Standard rate
- 8.1% · reduced 2.6%, 3.8%
CHE plus nine digits, usually written CHE-123.456.789, with an optional MWST, TVA or IVA suffix. The ninth digit is a modulus-11 check digit, verified here.
How this Switzerland check works
- Format, in your browser. As you type, the number is compared with the Switzerland pattern and its check digit is recomputed. This costs nothing and sends nothing: a number in the wrong shape is rejected on the spot and never reaches the registry.
- Registration: not available yet. A live lookup against the federal UID register (BFS) is not available to us today, so a correct format is reported as exactly that — not as a registered business.
- 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 an old six-digit VAT number
Switzerland replaced its six-digit VAT numbers with the UID in 2014. A six-digit number is out of date; ask for the CHE number.
Reading a UID as proof of VAT registration
Every Swiss business has a UID. Only those registered for VAT add the MWST/TVA/IVA suffix, and a correct format cannot tell you which.
Frequently asked questions
What does MWST, TVA or IVA after a Swiss number mean?
They are the German, French and Italian abbreviations for VAT. The suffix shows the UID is registered for VAT; the digits are the same either way.
Does this checker confirm a Swiss number is registered?
Not at the moment. It confirms the number is well-formed and its check digit is correct. Registration status needs the federal UID register, which we cannot query today.
Can I check a Swiss number in VIES?
No. VIES covers EU member states only.
Validating Switzerland numbers from your own code instead of by hand? The Switzerland 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.