Check a Dutch VAT number: the btw-id and the omzetbelastingnummer

Number format

This page gives the format, the difference between the two and the steps to check a number.

The btw-identificatienummer (btw-id) is the VAT number you show to customers and suppliers. For a sole proprietor it is written NL, 9 digits, the letter B and 2 digits: 14 characters. For other legal forms the 9 digits are replaced by the company's RSIN. The btw-id never contains the entrepreneur's citizen service number (BSN), according to the official Dutch business portal.

Fictitious example, only to show the shape: NL123456789B01. It belongs to nobody.

Frequent errors

• Mixing up the btw-id with the omzetbelastingnummer. That number is for dealings with the Dutch tax authority, has no NL prefix and, for a sole proprietor, contains the BSN. It does not belong on an invoice.
• Accepting from a Dutch customer a 12-character number with no NL prefix: it is probably the omzetbelastingnummer, not the btw-id.
• Leaving out the letter B or the last 2 digits.
• Copying dots, spaces or hyphens into the number.
• Looking the number up in a public directory: there is none, you have to ask the customer.

How to check it

There is no public list of all btw-ids: you ask the customer or supplier for the number, then check it. For a Dutch number, use the official European Union VAT number checking service. For most countries it also shows the name and address linked to the number. The explanations of the Dutch authorities describe the process.

The official check gives three answers: valid, invalid or cannot be checked right now. The last one happens when a national service is unavailable: it is not an invalid number, you need to try again later. A negative answer does not prove either that the company does not exist: it may simply not be registered for intra-EU VAT.

To check a number with no effort, or a whole list, use the VAT number check tool. For an entire customer list, the customer file tool handles it in one go.

Checked on October 15, 2026.

What to do if the number is invalid

An "invalid" result does not mean fraud. Go through these steps in order:

1. reread the number: NL, 9 digits, B, 2 digits;
2. make sure you were not given the omzetbelastingnummer and ask for the btw-id shown on the customer's invoices, with its company name;
3. try again later if the service was unavailable;
4. keep a record of the check: date and result;
5. without a valid number, talk to your accountant before invoicing without VAT.

Other countries

The principle is the same in every country: a prefix, then a number of characters specific to the country, then an official check.

• Germany (USt-IdNr)
• Spain (NIF-IVA)
• Italy (partita IVA)
• Belgium (VAT number)
• France: French VAT number

Keep reading

• VATCheck a German VAT number (USt-IdNr)DE + 9 digits: the format of the USt-IdNr, frequent errors, the official check and what to do when it is invalid.
• VATCheck a Spanish VAT number (NIF-IVA)ES + 9 characters: the format of the NIF-IVA, the letter rules, the official check and what to do when it is invalid.
• VATCheck an Italian VAT number (partita IVA)IT + 11 digits: the format of the partita IVA, frequent errors, the official check and what to do when it is invalid.
• VATCheck a Belgian VAT number (BE + 10 digits)BE + 10 digits, the first 0 or 1: the format, frequent errors, the official check and what to do when it is invalid.
• VATFrench VAT number: format and how to check itThe French, Belgian and Swiss formats, the mentions on the invoice and the check before invoicing.