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EU VAT number checker

Dutch VAT number check

Check a Dutch supplier's or customer's number against VIES, the European Commission's register. Below: the format, what it's called locally, and the mistakes that make a correct number fail.

Paste the number with or without the country prefix. Nothing you enter is stored.

The format

PrefixNL
After the prefix9 digits + B + 2 digits
StructureOne block of 12 characters. The 10th character after NL is always B.
ExampleNL123456789B01

You can paste the number with spaces, dots or dashes; the checker removes them.

What it's called

Btw-identificatienummer (btw-id).

Dutch businesses have two numbers: the btw-id for invoices, customers and websites, and the omzetbelastingnummer for dealings with the Belastingdienst only. Since 2020 a sole trader's btw-id no longer contains their citizen service number (BSN).

What trips people up

  • The omzetbelastingnummer looks like a btw-id without NL, but it isn't a VAT number. Only the btw-id belongs on invoices and in VIES.
  • The two digits after B aren't always 01. Don't normalise them.
  • Members of a fiscal unity (VAT group) keep their own btw-id for customers and suppliers.

Other ways to check

VIES is the check to rely on for cross-border trade. The number is issued by Belastingdienst (Netherlands Tax and Customs Administration); if a correct number keeps showing invalid, the business has to take it up with them.

Sources

Formats from the European Commission's VIES FAQ, checked 16 October 2026. Rules can change; the tax authority's own guidance wins.

Questions about Dutch VAT numbers

What is the format of a Dutch VAT number?

NL followed by 9 digits + B + 2 digits. One block of 12 characters. The 10th character after NL is always B. Example: NL123456789B01.

What is a Dutch VAT number called?

Btw-identificatienummer (btw-id). Dutch businesses have two numbers: the btw-id for invoices, customers and websites, and the omzetbelastingnummer for dealings with the Belastingdienst only. Since 2020 a sole trader's btw-id no longer contains their citizen service number (BSN).