vatnode

United Kingdom VAT Number Format (GB123456789)

Value Added Tax (VAT) number structure, regex & verified examples

Everything you need to know about Value Added Tax (VAT) numbers in the United Kingdom — they follow the pattern GB + 9 digits, 12 digits, or GD/HA + 3 digits (e.g. GB123456789), and can be verified against VIES. For the rates themselves, see United Kingdom VAT rates.

European countryVAT — Value Added TaxGBP

VAT Number Format

Structure

GB + 9 digits, 12 digits, or GD/HA + 3 digits

Example format

GB123456789

Regex

^GB(\d{9}|\d{12}|GD\d{3}|HA\d{3})$

VAT numbers are not case-sensitive – lowercase input is automatically normalised. See how this format compares across all 27 EU countries.

Company and Tax Identifiers in the United Kingdom

What the registrar, the register and each identifier are called, in every official language and in English. These are names, not numbers.

Company registrar
  • English: Companies House
Company register
  • English: Companies House register
Register number
  • English: company number
Tax ID
  • English: Unique Taxpayer Reference
VAT ID
  • English: VAT registration number

Each name is checked against the registrar’s or tax authority’s own pages or legal text. The same names ship in eu-vat-rates-data.json and in GET /v1/rates.

More on the United Kingdom

United Kingdom VAT rates via API

Get United Kingdom VAT rates via API — free, no key

No API key required
Request
curl "https://api.vatnode.dev/v1/rates/GB"
Response200 OK
{
  "countryCode": "GB",
  "countryName": "United Kingdom",
  "isEU": false,
  "vatName": "Value Added Tax",
  "vatAbbr": "VAT",
  "currency": "GBP",
  "standardRate": 20,
  "reducedRates": [
    5
  ],
  "superReducedRate": null,
  "parkingRate": null,
  "vatNumberFormat": "GB + 9 digits, 12 digits, or GD/HA + 3 digits",
  "vatNumberPattern": "^GB(\\d{9}|\\d{12}|GD\\d{3}|HA\\d{3})$",
  "identifiers": {
    "registryAuthorityName": {
      "en": "Companies House"
    },
    "registryName": {
      "en": "Companies House register"
    },
    "registryCodeName": {
      "en": "company number"
    },
    "taxIdName": {
      "en": "Unique Taxpayer Reference"
    },
    "vatIdName": {
      "en": "VAT registration number"
    }
  },
  "updatedAt": "2026-11-12"
}

View full rates API reference →

Get United Kingdom VAT rates via package — offline, no HTTP

eu-vat-rates-data
Request
# npm install eu-vat-rates-data
import { getRate } from 'eu-vat-rates-data'

const rate = getRate('GB')
console.log(rate.standard) // GB standard VAT rate
getRate() result200 OK
{
  "country": "United Kingdom",
  "currency": "GBP",
  "eu_member": false,
  "vat_name": "Value Added Tax",
  "vat_abbr": "VAT",
  "standard": 20,
  "reduced": [
    5
  ],
  "super_reduced": null,
  "parking": null,
  "format": "GB + 9 digits, 12 digits, or GD/HA + 3 digits",
  "pattern": "^GB(\\d{9}|\\d{12}|GD\\d{3}|HA\\d{3})$",
  "identifiers": {
    "registry_authority_name": {
      "en": "Companies House"
    },
    "registry_name": {
      "en": "Companies House register"
    },
    "registry_code_name": {
      "en": "company number"
    },
    "tax_id_name": {
      "en": "Unique Taxpayer Reference"
    },
    "vat_id_name": {
      "en": "VAT registration number"
    }
  }
}

View package on GitHub →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the VAT number format in the United Kingdom?▾

VAT numbers in the United Kingdom follow the format: GB + 9 digits, 12 digits, or GD/HA + 3 digits. Example: GB123456789. VAT numbers are not case-sensitive – lowercase input is automatically normalised.

What is the VAT number regex pattern in the United Kingdom?▾

Use this regular expression to validate VAT numbers in the United Kingdom VAT number format locally:

^GB(\d{9}|\d{12}|GD\d{3}|HA\d{3})$

Test against the uppercase number. Format validation catches typos locally.

What does VAT stand for in the United Kingdom?▾

VAT stands for Value Added Tax — the British name for Value Added Tax (VAT). It appears on British invoices and tax documents.