Validate an EU dealer customer
Check whether the VAT ID is valid and, optionally, whether the submitted company details match before the sale.
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Validate an EU VAT ID
Simple validation or qualified company-data matching via BZSt/eVATR and VIES
Free VAT ID Checker for EU businesses
Validate a European business customer’s VAT ID. Optionally compare its company name, street, postal code and city with the data you enter. For German requesters, Autaxo uses the BZSt qualified eVATR confirmation; VIES can be used as a fallback when required.
BZSt provides simple and qualified confirmations. A qualified request can check the business details as well as the VAT ID’s validity. VIES validates VAT IDs across the EU by querying member states’ national databases.
Integrated in Autaxo
No separate validation step in an EU sale
This free tool shows the validation on its own. In Autaxo, it runs directly when a vehicle sale to an EU business is processed as an intra-Community supply.
The result is logged electronically and stored as a PDF in the digital sales file, so it can be downloaded and produced when a tax authority asks for evidence.
1 Create the EU B2B sale
2 Validate the VAT ID
3 Apply the tax logic
4 Create the invoice
5 Store PDF evidence
Why a valid VAT ID matters in vehicle trading
For a sale to an EU business, the VAT ID is one factor in determining whether the invoice may be issued without German VAT. An invalid or incorrectly assigned number can mean that the transaction must be treated like a domestic sale.
The validation is not the whole decision. Buyer status, the vehicle’s purchase tax status, invoice wording, the EC Sales List and transport evidence must all fit the actual transaction. A valid VAT ID alone does not establish the exemption.
Autaxo connects the validation to that complete sales process. The result does not need to be copied from an external site: it is stored electronically and as a PDF in the sales file alongside the customer, vehicle and invoice.
EU B2B sale Invoice without German VAT? Document the evidence
Built for dealers selling vehicles across the EU
The checker is useful before a first transaction with a new EU dealer, whenever customer details change, and whenever a vehicle sale is intended to be invoiced without German VAT.
Prepare the invoice correctly
Use the result as one input when assessing whether the transaction is an EU B2B sale, domestic sale or another special case.
Keep evidence in the sales file
Autaxo stores the electronic result and a PDF in the digital sales file, ready to download whenever needed.
More than a VAT-ID lookup
A lookup only tells you about the number. Autaxo carries the result forward into the tax treatment, invoice wording, required evidence and documented sales file. For an intra-Community supply, the validation is attached directly to the transaction.
Validate
Validate the VAT ID and optionally match the company name and address.
Decide
Autaxo assigns the buyer status to the corresponding guided tax treatment.
Document
Store the electronic result and PDF alongside the invoice, vehicle and sales file.
The applicable treatment can include standard taxation, the § 25a margin scheme, an exempt intra-Community supply or an export. The actual facts and supporting evidence remain decisive.
Standalone VAT-ID lookup
Continue the workflow in Autaxo
Validity is checked
Validity is considered within the sales workflow
Validation is a separate task
Validation runs as part of the EU sale
The result must be saved manually
The electronic result and PDF are stored in the sales file
Invoice wording remains a manual decision
Tax treatment and invoice wording are guided
No connection to the vehicle
The validation is linked to the customer, vehicle and sale
Risk of disconnected records
Documentation remains in the deal context
From VAT-ID validation to the correct invoice with Autaxo. See how § 25a, EU and export tax logic works →
Try Autaxo freeVAT ID Checker FAQ
Answers about qualified BZSt/eVATR confirmations, VIES and EU vehicle sales.
What is a VAT ID?
A VAT identification number uniquely identifies a business for EU VAT purposes. It is particularly relevant to cross-border B2B transactions within the European Union.
What does the Autaxo VAT ID Checker validate?
It validates the VAT ID and can compare the company name, street, postal code and city with the submitted details. A qualified BZSt/eVATR confirmation can be requested by eligible German businesses.
What is the difference between BZSt/eVATR and VIES?
The German Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt) provides the eVATR confirmation service. VIES is the EU-wide interface that queries VAT-ID data through the national databases of member states.
Is a valid VAT ID sufficient for an exempt intra-Community supply?
No. It is an important requirement, but the transaction must also satisfy the other legal conditions and evidence requirements. Transport evidence, the EC Sales List, invoice wording and the actual buyer status remain relevant.
Why is this especially relevant to car dealers?
For vehicle sales to another EU country, the combination of the vehicle’s purchase tax status and the buyer’s status determines the tax treatment. A VAT-ID check should therefore be connected to the invoice and evidence chain.
Is the VAT ID Checker free?
Yes. The standalone checker is free. In Autaxo, the same validation is integrated into the vehicle-sale workflow and the result is stored electronically and as a downloadable PDF.
From VAT-ID check to the correct invoice
Autaxo connects VAT-ID validation, the digital sales file, tax logic and invoicing in one guided workflow. Evidence remains available electronically and as a PDF.
No tax advice. The validation supports documentation and plausibility checks within the sales process.
Sources: BZSt VAT-ID FAQ · European Commission: VAT IDs and VIES