How to check whether a company really exists and is active, before paying it

In short: the quickest free check is the Verifica partita IVA service of the Agenzia delle Entrate: by entering the number, it returns the status (active, suspended or ceased), the holder's name and the start date of activity. It confirms that the number exists, not that the company on the other side is really that one, nor that it is sound.

How do I check for free whether a VAT number is active?

With the Verifica partita IVA service on the Agenzia delle Entrate website: you enter the number and a security code, without registration. If the VAT number is registered in the Anagrafe tributaria (tax register), the response shows the status, the holder's name and the main dates of the activity.

As of October 2026, the service page lists the following data in the response:

• status: active, suspended (in the case of a business lease) or ceased;
• name, or surname and first name of the holder;
• start date of activity and any suspension or cessation dates;
• whether the VAT number belongs to a VAT group or to one of its members.

The consultation is provided for by art. 35-quater of Presidential Decree 633/1972 (DPR 633/1972). Searches are made only by number, and the status concerns the VAT position: the service does not say whether the company is in dissolution or insolvency proceedings, who controls it, or whether it has protests. The most useful check is the comparison: the name returned must match the one on the quote, the invoice and the website.

Is VIES also useful for an Italian company?

VIES, run by the European Commission, only tells you whether a VAT number is valid for intra-EU transactions. For an Italian company that does not trade abroad it may show as "not valid" even when it is regularly active: the correct information on its status remains that of the Agenzia delle Entrate.

In Italy, inclusion in the VIES archive is not automatic: it is requested through an option, at the start of the activity or later. The Agenzia delle Entrate excludes those who do not file recapitulative statements for four consecutive quarters.

VIES is, instead, the right tool if the supplier is based in another EU country. There is no single European VAT database: the request goes to the national archive of the country that issued the number. Name and address appear only if that country allows it; otherwise you will see "---".

What does the Registro Imprese add?

The Registro Imprese, kept by the Chambers of Commerce, tells you who the company is: legal form, registered office, share capital, directors, shareholders and registered proceedings. On registroimprese.it, searching for a company is free; the ordinary company registry extract for a limited company costs €5 online.

The extract contains sections that the Agenzia service does not provide: registered offices and local units, insolvency proceedings, dissolutions and cancellations, and directors and shareholders with their shareholdings. The details are in the guide company registry extract or solvency report: the differences.

How do you recognise a ghost company?

Not from a single data point, but from inconsistencies between what the counterparty declares and what the public sources show. None of the signs below proves fraud, and many have legitimate explanations. They are cautionary criteria: each one deserves one more question before paying.

• IBAN in the name of a different party from the name on the invoice, or bank details changed by email at the last moment.
• A name that does not match: the name returned for that VAT number differs from the one on the website or quote.
• VAT number ceased or suspended, or a start date of activity inconsistent with what is claimed ("we have been on the market for twenty years").
• Newly incorporated company asking for the full amount in advance. On how to assess a young company: a new supplier with no filed accounts.
• Registered office at a domiciliation address: this is legitimate, but the registered office does not tell you where the company works. Ask where the operational unit is and compare it with the local units in the extract.
• Pressure to pay immediately, or discounts out of line with the market.

Beware of someone using the genuine VAT number of an existing company with their own IBAN and contact details: the Agenzia delle Entrate check will come back in order, because the number is real. What protects you is comparing the account holder with the company name, plus a phone call to the company on a number you have found yourself.

In what order should you carry out the checks before paying?

First the free identity checks (VAT number, IBAN, Registro Imprese), then those on signs of difficulty, in proportion to the amount: for a small order the first three steps may suffice; for a significant deposit, all of them are needed.

1. Ask for the VAT number and the exact company name in writing, before any payment.
2. Verify the VAT number on the Agenzia delle Entrate website: active status and matching name.
3. Check the IBAN: the account holder must be the company that invoices you. Confirm the bank details by telephone.
4. If the supplier is in another EU country, verify the number on VIES.
5. Look up the company in the Registro Imprese and, if the amount justifies it, download the extract: registered office, local units, directors, any proceedings or dissolution.
6. Check protests and insolvency proceedings before paying an advance or a deposit.

What does a report add to the free checks?

The free public services tell you that the company exists and is registered; a report tells you whether there are signs of difficulty: protests, insolvency proceedings, old accounts or eroded net equity, and who really controls the company.

• Negatività e procedure concorsuali (€5.90): protests, with amount and date when available, and insolvency proceedings ongoing against the company, with source and date. The result is not instant.
• Report Verifica (€19): protests and proceedings, plus the beneficial owner reconstructed from the Registro Imprese, shareholders and directors, estimated operating credit line (always an estimate), date of incorporation, date of the last filed accounts and net equity. It also flags companies incorporated less than 12 months ago and accounts filed more than 18 months ago.

If you are paying a deposit, the guide on how to check a supplier's solvency before paying a deposit explains what to look at. And to start without commitment there is the free preview, described in checking a company online without a subscription or registration.