Does Invoicr check VAT numbers against VIES?

It checks the format for every EU member state plus the UK, Switzerland and Norway. A live VIES lookup, which confirms the number is actually registered, is a Pro feature because it requires a server-side call.

What if my customer has no VAT number?

Then it is a B2C supply and the reverse charge does not apply — you charge VAT, generally at your own rate or, for digital services, at the customer’s rate under the One-Stop-Shop. There is an OSS number field for that case.

Can I use this for UK invoices after Brexit?

Yes. Pick GB and Invoicr uses the UK VAT number format and the 20% standard rate. Supplies between the UK and the EU are now imports and exports rather than intra-Community, so check the treatment with your advisor.

EU / UK — VATNo signupNo watermark

EU VAT invoices with the reverse charge handled

Both VAT numbers, the correct Article 196 wording, and a VAT breakdown that shows the rate and the amount. Free and no signup.

Start this invoice See the Atelier template

Opens the standard builder with the EU / UK — VAT format and sensible line items already selected. Change anything you like.

Preset template: Atelier

Reverse charge, spelled out
Cross-border B2B supplies drop to 0% VAT and print the Article 196 note. Goods get the Article 138 wording instead. Both VAT numbers are required and shown.
VAT numbers format-checked
Every member state has a different pattern. Invoicr knows them, plus the UK, Switzerland and Norway, and flags a number that cannot be right.
A real VAT breakdown
Rate, taxable base and VAT amount per rate — not a single opaque tax line. Required by Article 226 and useful at filing time.

When does the reverse charge apply?

For most B2B services supplied to a customer in another member state, the place of supply is where the customer is established, and the customer accounts for the VAT under Article 196 of Directive 2006/112/EC. The supplier issues an invoice with no VAT and an explicit statement that VAT is reverse charged, showing the customer’s VAT number.

For intra-Community supplies of goods the mechanism is different — the supply is exempt under Article 138 and the customer accounts for VAT on acquisition — so the wording on the invoice must differ too. Invoicr switches the note when you mark the supply as goods.

If both parties are in the same country the supply is domestic and normally carries VAT at the local rate. Invoicr warns when you enable the reverse charge with two VAT numbers from the same country, because that combination is usually a mistake.

What Article 226 requires

A VAT invoice must show the date of issue, a sequential number, the supplier’s VAT identification number, the customer’s VAT number where they are liable for the tax, both parties’ full names and addresses, the quantity and nature of the goods or services, the taxable amount per rate, the VAT rate applied, the VAT amount payable, and — where an exemption or reverse charge applies — a reference to the relevant provision.

That last requirement is the one most templates skip. Invoicr prints the legal reference automatically based on how you have configured the supply, and you can override the wording if your advisor prefers different phrasing.

Questions

Common questions

EU VAT invoice generator, ready to go.

Open the builder