How to Easily Check VAT Numbers in Salesforce Using the EU VIES Service

What is the EU VIES service?

VIES (VAT Information Exchange System) is a common official tool in the European Union (EU). It is used to exchange VAT information, validate if a given VAT number is valid and get the official company information.

Why should you validate your business partners’ data?

When you do business with a company registered in an EU country, the tax authority has some requirements. You have to provide them with the VAT details of your customer.

If you get a wrong VAT number and don’t spend a few seconds on validating it, you end up getting your invoices wrong. Then you’ll need to spend time fixing this later.

So it’s not only in the tax authorities’ interest to get the VAT number right the first time. It’s also in your own interest, since it saves your business time and money.

How do you set up VAT validation in Salesforce?

We humbly believe that we offer the most powerful and affordable VAT Checker on the market.

To get up and running in no time: First get your Salesforce admin to download and install Astapor VAT Checker from the Salesforce AppExchange. Then remind them to assign the Account VAT Check layout to your profile. And lastly to give you the Check VAT Number permission set.

Once you’re all set, here’s what you need to do:

Navigate to one of your accounts and fill in the EU Country Code and VAT Number fields.
Click the Check VAT Number button.
Return to the account card and wait for the service to update the address and the company name in the VAT Details section. It’s as simple as that. 🙂

You can even schedule the VAT check as a batch job. By doing this you don’t need to manually update all your accounts.

If your company needs a receipt from the VIES service every time you make a request, that’s possible too. Simply make sure to update the VAT Check Requester Details in the Salesforce Custom Settings with your own company’s EU country code and VAT number.

When you use the VAT Checker, you no longer have to leave the Salesforce environment to validate the VAT information provided by your business partners.

And there’s no excuse not to try it out – right now it’s free, no credit card needed!