Belgium · BE
The Belgian VAT number
Belgium runs the simplest system in the Union: the VAT number is the enterprise number. One number, one register — and that register is open data.
Format: BE + 10 digits, starting with 0 or 1
Example: BE0411905847 — enterprise number 0411.905.847
Issued by: the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (KBO/BCE); activated for VAT by the finance ministry.
The format
A Belgian VAT number is always twelve characters: the country code
BE and ten digits. Domestically it is written with dots —
0411.905.847 — which are dropped for validation and on cross-border invoices.
- BEThe country code.
- 0The first digit: 0 or 1 for an enterprise.
- 4119058The sequence number.
- 47The check digits, modulo 97.
Until 2003 Belgian VAT numbers had nine digits; since the enterprise number was introduced on
1 July 2003 a leading 0 has been added. Numbers starting with
1 have only been issued for a few years, as the 0 range fills up. An
establishment unit number also has ten digits but starts with 2,
and is not a VAT number.
The check digits
The last two digits follow from the first eight with a single division:
check = 97 − (first 8 digits modulo 97)
For 0411905847: 04119058 mod 97 = 50, and 97 − 50 = 47,
which matches the last two digits. The check runs offline, in one line of code, with no
network call at all.
A correct check proves nothing. It only shows the number was transcribed without error. Whether the company exists, and whether it is VAT-liable, is answered only by the KBO or by VIES.
Enterprise number, VAT number, RPR
The enterprise number is assigned to every legal person and every
self-employed person when they register with the KBO. The VAT number is
exactly the same number prefixed with BE — but it only exists if the enterprise
is actually VAT-liable and its VAT status has been activated.
That is the real distinction: every enterprise has an enterprise number, not every enterprise has an active VAT number. An exempt small business, a non-profit with no economic activity or a non-taxable holding all appear in the KBO and fail to validate in VIES.
The RPR/RPM number (register of legal persons) is the same number followed by the competent enterprise court — "RPR Ghent". Not a new number, just another way of writing it.
Finding the company behind a number
KBO Public Search
KBO Public Search is free, public and searchable directly by enterprise number. It returns the name, legal form, status, registered-office address, establishment units and NACE activity codes. For a manual lookup it is the best source in Europe.
KBO Open Data
The economy ministry also publishes the full extract as open data: roughly 1.9 million entities, every day, kept for a month. A free account is all it takes. Because the VAT number is the enterprise number, every row can be reached directly from a VAT number — a convenience most member states do not offer.
Two things to know: names live in a different file from the enterprises themselves, and the language of a name is written as a digit in one file and as a letter code in the other. Miss that and you get a register entirely in German. The licence forbids reuse for direct marketing.
VIES
Belgium discloses both the name and the full address through VIES, in the company's own language. VIES also answers the one question the KBO does not: is this number valid, right now, for intra-community trade?
| Source | Keyed by | What you get | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| KBO Public Search | Enterprise number | Name, legal form, status, address, activities | One lookup at a time |
| KBO Open Data | Enterprise number | The whole register, daily | Free account required; no direct marketing |
| VIES | VAT number | Intra-community validity, name and address | Slow, tight quotas |
Belgium-specific pitfalls
- Being in the KBO ≠ being VAT-liable. The number always exists; the VAT status does not.
- A number starting with 2 is an establishment unit, not an enterprise. It will never validate as a VAT number.
-
Old nine-digit numbers still circulate on pre-2003 documents. They need a
leading
0. - The language of the name depends on the company, not on the region. A Brussels company may register its name in Dutch, in French, or in both.
- The number never changes, not on a change of name, address or legal form.
One API for 27 member states
Vatlas turns a European VAT number into a company record: legal name, national identifier, legal form, status and address. Same call, same shape, for Belgium and for the other twenty-six.
curl "https://api.vatlas.dev/v1/vat/BE0411905847" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $VATLAS_KEY"Response:
200 OK
{
"data": {
"vatNumber": "BE0411905847",
"countryCode": "BE",
"nationalNumber": "0411905847",
"nationalId": "0411905847",
"name": "NV Meli",
"legalForm": null,
"status": "active",
"address": {
"line1": "Handelsstraat 13",
"line2": null,
"postalCode": "8630",
"city": "Veurne",
"country": "BE"
}
},
"meta": {
"origin": "vies",
"source": "VIES",
"sourceUpdatedAt": "2026-08-28T09:43:46.528Z",
"checked": ["database", "VIES"]
}
}
meta.origin says where the answer came from: database when it comes
from a register imported locally, source for a national API queried live,
vies as a last resort. The shape of the response never changes.
Free to try. An email address creates an account: no credit card, no sales call, 100 requests a month, and a working key in about a minute.
Frequently asked
The Belgian VAT number in short
How many digits does a Belgian VAT number have?
Ten digits preceded by BE, twelve characters in total. The first digit is 0
or 1.
Are the enterprise number and the VAT number the same?
They are the same digits, since 1 July 2003. The VAT number is the enterprise number
prefixed with BE, but it only exists if the enterprise is VAT-liable.
How do I check a Belgian VAT number myself?
With the modulo 97 rule: the last two digits must equal
97 − (the first eight digits modulo 97). It runs offline, but it only proves
the number was copied correctly.
Why does an existing Belgian number fail in VIES?
Because the company is in the KBO but has no active VAT status — an exempt small business, a non-profit with no economic activity, or a company that has ceased trading.
What is a number starting with 2?
An establishment unit number: it identifies a place of business rather than the enterprise itself, and is never a VAT number.
Is there a free, complete file of Belgian companies?
Yes. KBO Open Data publishes the full extract daily and a free account is enough. Reuse for direct marketing is contractually forbidden.
VAT numbers in other countries
Last updated 28 August 2026.