USt-IdNr. Checker (Germany)
Check that a USt-IdNr. is correctly formed and that its check digit computes, before you put it on an invoice. Nothing is sent anywhere.
- Free
- No sign-up
- Nothing uploaded
- Updated for 2026
- Last reviewed Oktober 2026
- Reviewed by the Owoode team
- € EUR
- VAT (USt) 19%
- USt-IdNr.
- A4
- English
Enter a number above.
Example: DE 136695976
How the number is built and checked
A German USt-IdNr. is the prefix DE followed by nine digits and nothing else (BZSt, "Aufbau der Umsatzsteuer-Identifikationsnummer"). The personal Steuer-Identifikationsnummer and the Steuernummer have other formats and do not pass as a USt-IdNr.
A format check says only that the number is well formed, not that it is registered. The official check is the Bundeszentralamt für Steuern confirmation procedure under section 18e UStG, but it is for German businesses and checks numbers issued by other EU member states; section 18e UStG has it confirm a number's validity together with the holder's name and address, and it offers simple and qualified requests online and through an interface. The BZSt holds no data on other countries' numbers and forwards each request to the member state concerned.
What this does and does not tell you
This page checks arithmetic, not registration. Every USt-IdNr. carries a check digit calculated from the digits before it, which is what catches a typo. Confirming that a business is genuinely registered means asking Bundeszentralamt für Steuern, because only they hold the register.