EU VAT validation for AI agents

vatnode ships an official Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, so Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT and any MCP-compatible client can validate EU VAT numbers and look up VAT rates directly in the conversation — backed by the live EU VIES register, not by a guess.

Connect it once and your agent stops inventing tax data. It validates the actual number, returns the registered company, and can attach a VIES consultation number for your audit trail.

Why an AI workflow needs real VAT data

Language models are confident and frequently wrong about tax. Ask one for the VAT rate in Finland and it may quote 24% — the rate before the September 2024 increase to 25.5%. Ask it whether a VAT number is valid and it has no way to know: validity is a fact held only by the EU VIES register, updated continuously by 27 national tax authorities. A model cannot validate a VAT number any more than it can check whether your flight is on time. It can only guess.

For any agent that touches invoicing, onboarding, B2B sign-up or compliance, a wrong answer is not a harmless slip — it is a mis-issued invoice or a reverse-charge claim you cannot defend. The vatnode MCP server replaces the guess with a tool call: bundled rate and format data refreshed daily from the EU Commission TEDB, and live VIES validation through the vatnode API for the EU-27 plus Northern Ireland (XI).

The tools your agent gets

Five focused tools, each with a description tuned for accurate selection by the agent. Four work fully offline with no API key; only live VIES validation calls the vatnode API.

Connect it in 30 seconds

The server is published to npm as vatnode-mcp. Add this block to your client config — for Claude Desktop it goes in claude_desktop_config.json; in Cursor, paste it under Settings → MCP → Add new server.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vatnode": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "vatnode-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "VATNODE_API_KEY": "vat_live_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

What it looks like in chat

Once connected, you talk to the agent normally — it picks the right tool from the description.

You: What's the VAT rate in Finland and Germany?

Claude: (calls get_country_vat_rates for FI and DE — free, no key)
Finland's standard VAT is 25.5%, Germany's is 19%. Finland has reduced
rates of 13.5% and 10%; Germany has 7%.

You: Is IE6388047V a valid VAT? Add it to the invoice if so.

Claude: (calls validate_vat_number — requires API key)
Yes, it's valid. Registered to GOOGLE IRELAND LIMITED at Gordon House,
Barrow Street, Dublin 4. Consultation number WAPIAAAAXk7ZpY3o is on file
for your reverse-charge audit trail.

Coverage

• Live VIES validation for all EU-27 member states plus Northern Ireland (XI)
• VAT rate and format data for 45 European countries, refreshed daily from the EU Commission TEDB
• VIES consultation number on every successful live validation — for audit evidence
• Registered company name and address returned where the member state publishes it
• Four offline tools that need no API key and never make a network call

FAQ