Home Numéro de TVA France
France Numéro de TVA validator
How the Numéro de TVA format works
- Format
- FR + 2 alphanumeric characters + 9 digits (SIREN)
- Example
- FR23334175221
Things to watch for
- The two characters after FR can be letters or digits (letters I and O are never used)
- The last 9 digits are the company's SIREN number, itself Luhn-checked, plus a mod-97 key check
^FR[0-9A-Z]{2}[0-9]{9}$A French VAT number, the numéro de TVA intracommunautaire, has a structure most EU formats don’t: “FR”, then a 2-character clé that can be letters, digits, or a mix, then the business’s 9-digit SIREN — for example FRAB123456789. That last part is the detail worth knowing: it isn’t an arbitrary tax ID. It’s the exact SIREN number INSEE assigned to the company, independently searchable in France’s public SIRENE business registry.
Because the clé can be alphanumeric rather than strictly numeric or strictly alphabetic, it’s easy to assume a French VAT number containing letters is malformed — it isn’t. The bigger risk is transposing digits within the embedded SIREN, since that changes which company the number actually points to in the national registry, not just whether the VAT number “looks right.”
Format check details
This tool checks for the “FR” prefix, confirms exactly 2 alphanumeric characters follow, counts a 9-digit SIREN to close it out, verifies the SIREN passes a Luhn checksum, and recomputes the clé from the SIREN to confirm it matches — entirely in your browser, no signup, nothing transmitted.
Outside this tool’s scope
A pass confirms shape and a mathematically consistent clé/SIREN pair, not that the SIREN is a live, registered company or that the number is an active VAT registration. Confirm both through the EU’s VIES lookup or France’s SIRENE registry.
Scope: format and clé/SIREN checksum validation — not the SIRENE registry lookup or VAT registration status.
Content last reviewed 2026-07-07.
Numéro de TVA FAQ
What are the two characters right after FR in a French VAT number?
That's the clé, a 2-character key that can be letters, digits, or a mix — for example FRAB123456789. It sits in front of the company's actual SIREN registry number, not inside it.
Is the rest of a French VAT number a real company registry ID?
Yes — the final 9 digits are the business's SIREN number, the same identifier INSEE (France's national statistics institute) assigns at company formation. It's independently listed in the public SIRENE registry, separate from the VAT key in front of it.
Does this tool validate the French clé formula?
Yes. It computes the correct clé from the embedded SIREN — using the numeric mod-97 formula for older all-digit keys, or the corresponding formula for the newer alphanumeric keys — and also checks that the SIREN itself passes a Luhn checksum, so a pass confirms both parts are mathematically consistent.