Skip to content
Zynk

Other

VIES Integration

Zynk's VIES integration checks customers' VAT numbers against the European Commission's VIES service as part of an automated workflow. Numbers held in your accounting system, online store or CRM are sent for verification, and the result, with the registered name and address where available, is written back to the customer record. It suits businesses selling to VAT-registered customers across the EU.

Available for
Workflow

Capabilities may differ depending on the product.

Book a callSee what you can do

Benefits

Why businesses connect VIES

Every trade customer checked

Instead of relying on someone to remember the VIES website, Zynk runs the check whenever a new trade customer appears or on a fixed timetable, so unchecked numbers stop slipping through to invoicing.

Registered details to compare

Where the member state shares them, VIES returns the trader's registered name and address alongside the result. Your team can spot a number that is valid but belongs to a different business from the one ordering.

Results stored on the record

The outcome of each check can be written back to the customer in Sage, Xero, Dynamics 365 Business Central or your CRM, so the people who invoice and the people who sell see the same verification status.

Problems raised quickly

When a number fails, Zynk can email your accounts or sales team with the customer and the reason, so it is sorted out with the customer before an order ships or an invoice is raised.

Rechecks on a timetable

A VAT registration can be cancelled after you first check it. Rechecking your existing customer list periodically shows which numbers are no longer valid, rather than finding out from a query during an audit.

Capabilities

What you can do with VIES

Every task the Zynk VIES connector can run, grouped by the direction data moves.

Actions in VIES

Tasks Zynk can automate in VIES

1 task

  • Verify tax number → in VIES

Need something that isn't listed?

Most VIES projects include at least one custom step. Our team builds it for you.

Talk to us

The problem

Why integrate VIES?

When you sell to VAT-registered businesses in other EU countries, you need confidence that each customer's VAT number is genuine. Checking numbers one by one on the VIES website is slow and easy to skip, and the results rarely make it back into the systems that raise invoices.

Without integration

  • VAT numbers typed onto customer accounts and never verified
  • Staff pasting numbers into the VIES website one at a time
  • Validation results kept in emails or screenshots, if at all
  • Invalid numbers discovered only when an invoice is queried
  • Long-standing accounts whose registrations nobody has rechecked

With Zynk

  • Each new number is checked against VIES automatically
  • Whole batches of numbers are verified in a single workflow run
  • The result is saved on the customer record it relates to
  • Failed checks trigger an email to the right team straight away
  • Scheduled rechecks highlight numbers that are no longer valid

How it works

How the VIES integration works

  1. Step 1: Choose the source

    Zynk reads customer or company records holding a country code and VAT number from your accounting system, store or CRM, either as new accounts appear or as a complete list.

  2. Step 2: Verify with VIES

    Each number is sent to VIES, which checks it against the issuing country's VAT records and returns whether it is valid, with the name and address where that country provides them.

  3. Step 3: Write back and alert

    Results are saved to the customer record in the source system, and invalid numbers or failed lookups trigger an email so someone can follow them up.

  4. Step 4: Repeat automatically

    The workflow runs on a schedule, so new customers are checked promptly and existing ones are rechecked at the interval your finance team chooses.

Integrations

What can you connect to VIES?

Sage 50 UKXeroMagentoSalesforceSage 200Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralSage IntacctHubSpotShopifyEmail

VIES and Sage 50 UK

Check the VAT numbers on Sage 50 customer accounts and update each account with the outcome, so EU sales are invoiced against verified details.

From VIES to Sage 50 UK:VAT check resultsFrom Sage 50 UK to VIES:Customers

View the Sage 50 UK integration →

VIES and Xero

Verify the tax numbers held on Xero contacts and return the outcome to each contact, giving finance a checked list before invoices go out to EU customers.

From VIES to Xero:VAT check resultsFrom Xero to VIES:Contacts

View the Xero integration →

VIES and Magento

Check the VAT numbers that business buyers give your Magento store and record the result against the customer or company account they belong to.

From VIES to Magento:VAT check resultsFrom Magento to VIES:Customers, Companies

View the Magento integration →

VIES and Salesforce

Verify VAT numbers on Salesforce accounts and store the result on the account, so sales can see a prospect's status before a quote is sent.

From VIES to Salesforce:VAT check resultsFrom Salesforce to VIES:Accounts

View the Salesforce integration →

See all integrations →

VIES integration FAQs

What is VIES?
VIES, the VAT Information Exchange System, is a European Commission service that confirms whether a VAT number issued by an EU member state is valid. It also covers Northern Ireland numbers with the XI prefix, and draws on the VAT records held by each country.
Can VIES check UK VAT numbers?
Only Northern Ireland numbers that start with XI. Numbers beginning GB are not held in VIES, and HMRC runs a separate online service for checking those. A Zynk workflow can route EU and XI numbers to VIES and leave GB numbers for your own process.
Is there a VIES API for automated checks?
Yes. The European Commission publishes a web service for VIES checks, which is what makes automated verification possible. Zynk calls it from inside a workflow, so your team does not need to build or maintain any code against the service.
What does a VIES check return?
A VIES check confirms whether the number is valid on the date of the request. Depending on the member state, it can also return the registered name and address of the business, which helps you confirm the number really belongs to the customer you are dealing with.
What happens if VIES is unavailable?
VIES relies on each member state's systems, and individual countries are sometimes unavailable. Zynk records the error returned for that number rather than treating it as invalid, so the check can simply be run again on the next scheduled run.
Which systems can Zynk check VAT numbers from?
Most systems Zynk connects to that hold customer records, including Sage 50, Sage 200, Xero, Dynamics 365 Business Central, Magento and Salesforce. The result can be written back to the same record, or to another system if that is where your team works.
Do I need developers to set up VIES checks?
No. VIES checks are built with Zynk Workflow, our low-code integration platform. Our team sets up the workflow around the systems that hold your customer data and supports it once it is live, so there is no development work on your side.

See what Zynk can automate for your VIES setup

Book a 20-minute call. We'll review your systems, flag the quick wins and outline a practical route to going live.

Book a callSee pricing