Before checking out your VAT number you must first register to get a VAT ID through online registration or through accountants for VAT. After your registration is complete, you can check out whether your VAT number is verified in the VIES website.

How to register for Vat Number

#1. Registering for VAT

Most of the business can do online registration for a VAT number. Even a group of these business companies can get a single VAT number if they are in partnership.
You have to create a VAT account online after registering for your VAT number. The account is needed to submit VAT returns to the HM Revenue and Customs.

#2. Using an Agent

You can also look for accountants near me to let an accountant submit the VAT Returns and also deal with HMRC in your place.
After HMRC provide you your VAT number, you will be able to sign up for online VAT account.

#3. Can’t Register Online

If you are failing to register online for VAT number then you must register through forms. When you are joining for the Agricultural Flat Rate Scheme, applying for “registration exception” or registering business units or the divisions of a corporate body under various VAT numbers, you must be registering for VAT number using VAT1 by the postal system.
Various VAT1 forms used for various reasons-

• VAT1A – When your business is EU based and you are distance selling to the United Kingdom.
• VAT1B – When you import goods from another EU country of more than £85,000
• VAT1C – When directive returns of 8th or 13th been claimed on your assets which you are disposing of.

#4. Getting your certificate

Mostly VAT registration certificate is available under 30 working days. It will be sent to you either through your VAT account or through the post if your accountant has registered for you or you couldn’t register online.

What You Should Know

Detailed information of your business activity, bank details and turnover has to be provided. From the date of registration, you will be paying your VAT due to HMRC.

After you have completed your registration process, now is the time to look for your VAT number on VIES website. Let’s know about VIES first.

What is VIES?

European Commission owns VIES or VAT Information Exchange System which is basically a search engine. VIES tool retrieves information from the national VAT database after a search. There can be one of two search results- Valid (VAT information exists) or Invalid (VAT information doesn’t exist)

Valid Response

In this instance, your EU VAT information will be displayed in VIES

Invalid response

In this case, your VAT information won’t be displayed as it is not registered in the VAT database. This will happen for one of these reasons-

1. VAT number doesn’t exist
2. For intra-EU transactions, VAT number is not activated
3. Registration is still not finalized as for some EU countries intra-EU transactions require separate registration.

Sometimes it takes time to reflect these changes in national VAT databases. In case of urgency, you must go to the local tax administration.

VIES tool is available in European Union’s 23 languages.

When Existing Number Is Not Yet Verified

If VIES doesn’t confirm your registration for VAT then you can request for verification to the tax office of your country. You may have to get another registration for the EU cross-border transactions. It varies within EU countries.

Requesting for Additional Information

When you are unable to get the VAT information from VIES then you should be requesting for additional information at the national level from your national authorities to confirm following details –

• The validity of VAT number
• Associated name and address on your VAT number

Contact process with the national authorities varies from all EU countries as in some countries online system is not available and only via phone, fax or mail you can contact them.

To protect data, name, and address corresponded to a certain VAT number won’t be supplied only confirmation of associated name and address with a certain VAT number will be given.

Unavailable Data

The system gets unavailable when national databases are backed up. Commission and Member of States are working together to minimize the unavailable period. Wait a few minutes or on other time before checking again if you see an error message.

Possible Inaccuracies

As VIES retrieves information from national databases European Commission can’t take responsibility if the information is inaccurate as the Commission don’t have any control over it. They can’t modify any VAT registrations. You must always track your VAT validation for tax control.

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