EEC VAT no. validation

[Snowgoat]

Selling to the EEC, and trusting customers with the correct VAT registration details to zero-rate their purchases is turning out to be risky.

We're using http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/vieshome.do to check the buyers' VAT registration. Inserting the details they give produces the company and the address so we can double-check.

Does anyone else use this system? Is is reliable?

[3pic]

It is the 'official' VAT checking system and so is very reliable. I certainly use it.

For added protection, you should print out your query so that you have evidence that you did check the VAT number at a point in time....just in case the customer later turns out to have de-registered at the time of your supply to them but the website had not been updated.

[Snowgoat]

Thanks. It doesn't always produce an address for the buyer, though. Does just checking that it is a valid VAT number mean anything when the VATperson checks it out at an inspection?