Check an Italian VAT number: format and check of the partita IVA

Number format

This page gives the format, the frequent errors and the steps to follow.

The partita IVA is issued by the Italian tax authority (Agenzia delle Entrate) to businesses and professionals who carry out an activity subject to VAT. The intra-EU VAT number is this number preceded by the IT prefix: 11 digits, 13 characters in all, with no letter.

Fictitious example, only to show the shape: IT12345678901. It belongs to no company.

Frequent errors

• Mixing up the partita IVA with the codice fiscale, the tax code, which for an individual has 16 characters mixing letters and digits.
• Losing a leading zero through a spreadsheet: the number then has only 10 digits.
• Leaving out the IT prefix, or writing 10 or 12 digits instead of 11.
• Copying spaces or dots into the number.
• Assuming that a freelancer or a registered business does not need a partita IVA: every VAT-liable person has one.

How to check it

For an Italian number, use the official European Union VAT number checking service. It says whether the number is registered on the date of the check and, when the answer includes them, returns the name and address: compare them with those of your partner.

The Agenzia delle Entrate also offers, on its website, an online service to check a partita IVA. It is the reference to turn to if a doubt remains about the status of an Italian number.

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: IT, 11 digits, with a possible leading zero;
2. ask the customer for its partita IVA as it appears on its invoices, with its company name, making clear it is not the codice fiscale;
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)
• Belgium (VAT number)
• Netherlands (btw-id)
• 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 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.
• VATCheck a Dutch VAT number (btw-id)NL + 9 digits + B + 2 digits: the format of the btw-id, the difference with the omzetbelastingnummer and the official check.
• VATFrench VAT number: format and how to check itThe French, Belgian and Swiss formats, the mentions on the invoice and the check before invoicing.