Terms of use

Last updated 5 November 2026

These terms apply to the website and the API of VAT API. By creating an account or using the service you agree to them.

Who we are

VAT API is operated by:

Who can use it

• The service is for professional use only: businesses and people acting for their business. It is not meant for consumers.
• You must be at least 18 years old.
• One account per person or business. Do not create extra accounts to get around the limits.

The service

VAT API checks EU VAT numbers against the European Commission's VIES service and other sources, and is free. It is provided as is: we do our best to keep it running, but we do not guarantee that it is always available or error-free. Limits and features may change.

What a result means

• A result is information, not tax or legal advice. A result from VAT API does not by itself prove good faith towards a tax authority.
• Results can come from our cache or from third-party sources and may be out of date. Every response says when it was checked (checked_at), by which source (source) and whether it is older than 24 hours (stale).
• For formal proof of a check, use a VIES consultation number: pass your own VAT number as requester (see the docs).

Fair use

• Stay within the rate limits shown in the docs. They may change.
• No bulk extraction: do not run systematic lookups of number ranges, scrape results, or use the API to build a copy of the data.
• Keep your API key secret, do not share it publicly, and do not resell the API or offer it as a competing service.
• We may suspend a key or account immediately when it harms the service, other users or the sources we depend on.

Belgian register data (KBO/BCE)

Register data comes from the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (KBO/BCE) of FOD Economie and is provided without any warranty. You may only use it to verify the identity and VAT status of a business you deal with. You may not use it to build your own database, redistribute it, create profiles, or for direct marketing, in particular not data about natural persons. If you share results with others, you must pass these restrictions on to them.

Sources and affiliation

VAT validation data comes from the European Commission's VIES service, which asks the tax administrations of the member states. When VIES does not answer we may use other sources or a stored result, which the response always shows. Other sources (vatcomply.com, controleerbtwnummer.eu) are not official. The VIES website has its own disclaimer, which also applies to its data.

VAT API is not affiliated with the European Commission, FOD Economie or any of the providers it uses.

Accounts

You sign in with a link sent to your email address. You can delete your account at any time in Settings. We may close accounts that break these terms.

Liability

Because the service is free and for professional use, our total liability for any claim is limited to EUR 100. We are not liable for indirect damage, such as lost profit or tax assessments. These limits do not apply to fraud, or to intentional or gross fault on our part (article 5.89 of the Belgian Civil Code).

Changes to these terms

We may change these terms. Account holders are told about significant changes by email at least 30 days before they apply. If you keep using the service after that, you accept the new terms.

Applicable law

These terms are governed by Belgian law. Disputes go to the competent courts of Ondernemingsrechtbank Antwerpen, afdeling Mechelen.

Contact

Questions about these terms: [email protected]. How we handle personal data is described in the privacy policy.