VAT numbers verification (VIES)

VAT Information Exchange System, or VIES, is a tool provided by the European Commission that allows you to check the validity of VAT numbers for companies registered in the European Union.

Odoo’s VAT Validation feature uses the VIES to verify your contacts’ VAT numbers directly from Odoo’s interface.

Note

Regardless of whether or not the Verify VAT Numbers feature is enabled, Odoo checks the format of a contact’s VAT against the expected format of VAT numbers from that country.

VIES VAT number verification

To activate this feature, go to Accounting ‣ Configuration ‣ Settings. In the Taxes section, enable the Verify VAT Numbers feature, and click on Save.

Once the Verify VAT Numbers feature is enabled, if the contact’s Tax ID field is populated and its country is different from your company’s country, Odoo displays an Intra-Community Valid checkbox. Odoo tests the VAT number through the VIES and automatically checks or unchecks the Intra-Community Valid checkbox depending on the validity of the VAT number.

Important

It is possible to manually override the Intra-Community Valid field on a contact in case the automatic VIES check is incorrect (for example, if the company was recently created and its VAT is not yet in the VIES). This change is logged in the chatter for transparency.

Note

Odoo can automatically apply fiscal positions. If the Verify VAT Numbers feature is enabled, any fiscal positions with VAT required enabled will require Intra-Community valid VAT numbers to apply automatically.