When you create a new customer of the 'Company' type in Lucy, the system automatically validates the entered VAT number. This ensures that your billing information is correct right from the start.
The VAT number must always begin with the country code, followed directly by the specific format of that country. Special characters and spaces are automatically removed by Lucy when entering the VAT number.
Please note: International sending via the Peppol network based on the VAT number of a foreign end customer is not yet possible in Lucy. You can still create the invoices and send them by e-mail, or send them based on a GLN number if the international company has one. The GLN number allows you to make use of the Peppol network.
You can find more information about GLN numbers here.
Below you will find the complete overview of the required formats per country:
Country | Country code | Expected format | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
Austria | AT | ATU + 8 digits | ATU12345678 |
Belgium | BE | BE + 9 or 10 digits | BE0123456789 |
Bulgaria | BG | BG + 9 or 10 digits | BG123456789 |
Croatia | HR | HR + 11 digits | HR12345678901 |
Cyprus | CY | CY + 8 digits + 1 letter | CY12345678L |
Czech Republic | CZ | CZ + 8 to 10 digits | CZ12345678 |
Denmark | DK | DK + 8 digits | DK12345678 |
Estonia | EE | EE + 9 digits | EE123456789 |
Finland | FI | FI + 8 digits | FI12345678 |
France | FR | FR + 2 characters (digits/letters) + 9 digits | FRXX123456789 |
Germany | DE | DE + 9 digits | DE123456789 |
Great Britain (GB) | GB | GB + 9 digits (possibly + 3 extra digits), or GB + 2 letters + 3 digits | GB123456789 |
Greece | GR | EL or GR + 9 digits | EL123456789 |
Hungary | HU | HU + 8 digits | HU12345678 |
Ireland | IE | IE + 7 digits + 1 or 2 letters, or IE + digit + letter + 5 digits + letter | IE1234567FA |
Italy | IT | IT + 11 digits | IT12345678901 |
Latvia | LV | LV + 11 digits | LV12345678901 |
Lithuania | LT | LT + 9 or 12 digits | LT123456789 |
Luxembourg | LU | LU + 8 digits | LU12345678 |
Malta | MT | MT + 8 digits | MT12345678 |
Netherlands | NL | NL + 9 digits + B + 2 digits | NL123456789B01 |
Norway | NO | NO + 9 or 10 digits | NO123456789 |
Poland | PL | PL + 10 digits | PL1234567890 |
Portugal | PT | PT + 9 digits | PT123456789 |
Romania | RO | RO + 2 to 10 digits | RO12345678 |
Slovakia | SK | SK + 10 digits | SK1234567890 |
Slovenia | SI | SI + 8 digits | SI12345678 |
Spain | ES | ES + 1 character (digit/letter) + 7 digits + 1 character (digit/letter) | ESX1234567X |
Sweden | SE | SE + 12 digits | SE123456789012 |
Switzerland | CH | CHE + 9 digits + MWST, TVA or IVA | CHE123456789TVA |
Ukraine | UA | UA + 10 digits (or just 10 digits) | UA1234567890 |
United Kingdom (UK) | UK | UK + 9 to 12 digits | UK123456789 |
Countries not included in this list
Is the customer's country not in the list above? In that case, Lucy accepts any VAT number that consists of 4 to 26 uppercase letters and/or digits (always starting with the country code).
Important notes
- Customer type: This validation applies exclusively to customers of the 'Company' type who are subject to VAT.
- Private individuals: No VAT number is required for private individuals, so no validation takes place.