Achtung
This feature will be available in a revised version as a beta starting in Q2/2026.
VAT ID verification (Value Added Tax Identification Number) is an important part of B2B transactions within the European Union. If you supply goods or services to a company in another EU member state, the invoice can be issued without German VAT under certain conditions (intra-Community supply or the reverse charge procedure).
A prerequisite is that your business partner is registered as a taxable person and has a valid VAT ID. Verification via the Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt) allows you to check whether the VAT ID is valid. With a qualified confirmation request, the associated company details (e.g. name and address) are also verified.
Proper verification and documentation serve as proof for the tax authorities and reduce the risk of subsequent VAT assessments.
Anmerkung
Legal changes regarding VAT ID confirmation:
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Since 20 July 2025, qualified confirmation requests may only be submitted electronically via the online portal or the interface of the Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt).
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Written requests (paper form) and telephone confirmations are no longer processed. Only the electronic response from the BZSt is accepted as proof. Companies must archive this confirmation accordingly in order to demonstrate the verification as part of their tax documentation obligations.
In the future, you will be able to verify the VAT ID directly in the customer address in the field "VAT ID" / "USt-IdNr.". By clicking the "Verify VAT ID" button, you can start the verification directly from the master data record.
After a successful verification, the result (e.g. "Valid") as well as the date of the last verification will be displayed directly next to the field.
After clicking "Verify VAT ID", the verification dialog opens. There you can choose between:
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Simple Check (basic validity check)
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Qualified Check (qualified confirmation request including verification of company details)
Which data is officially required?
For a simple check, only the VAT ID is required.
For a qualified confirmation request (recommended for EU B2B transactions), additional company details are requested and compared with the data stored at the German Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt):
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Company name
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Street and house number
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Postal code
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City
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Member state (country)
Anmerkung
Formatting requirements:
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VAT ID: Enter without spaces or special characters, including the country code according to the ISO standard (e.g. DE123456789, ATU12345678)
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Street/house number: either separated or in one field, exactly as registered in the official company records
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Postal code: numeric, in the country-specific format
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City: official spelling
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Country: selection according to the EU member state
The data should match the official company details as closely as possible, as the qualified check includes an automatic comparison of the information.
After selecting the verification type, you can start the request. The system transmits the data to the German Federal Central Tax Office and displays the result directly in the dialog.
All completed verifications are automatically documented.
In the "History Protocol" tab, you can view:
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Date and time of the request
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Type of verification (Simple or Qualified Check)
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Status (e.g. Valid)
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Verified VAT ID
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Company name according to the response
This log serves as proof for the tax authorities and supports compliance with tax documentation requirements.
Anmerkung
For intra-Community supplies in the B2B sector, the qualified confirmation request is generally recommended, as it also verifies the consistency of the company details. The electronic response from the BZSt should be archived.